According to Plan
by YarningChick
Summary: Every detail of Haru's life had long been decided for her. But even the best laid plans can be ruined by one tiny... ah... misunderstanding.
1. Depression

Okay, guys; this story's going to be a little more twisted than usual. I won't reveal the inspiration for this story yet, but I would like to thank Poet on the Run right here and now for giving me the villain for this piece.

Thanks again, Poet. You rock!

**Chapter One: Depression**

"And be sure to drink plenty of water while you're up there," a redheaded woman admonished as a younger girl, nearly identical in appearance and height, nodded numbly as her dark brown ponytail whipped slightly in the soft early March wind.

"Sure, Mom," she mumbled, her dark caramel eyes glancing at the long white bus that the school had rented for the class trip. She pulled her long blue jacket a little tighter over her body, hoping for the ache in her heart to stop.

Leaning against the side of the bus confidently was a slim boy slightly older than herself, with black hair that fell over his eyes roguishly as he threw his head back and laughed at one of his friend's jokes. They were loading their luggage into the compartment on the side of the vehicle.

The redheaded woman sighed as she pulled her pale teenage daughter close for a warm embrace. "I can't believe that this is going to be the last trip you're ever going to go on. It seems like only yesterday that I first dropped you off for kindergarten, and now here you are, merely weeks from graduating from high school."

"Mm hmm," the daughter agreed dutifully as a sigh escaped her throat.

"Honey? Is something wrong?" the mother asked, suddenly noticing the brunette's mood. "Do you feel sick?"

The girl sighed again. "No, not really. It's… just…"

"Do you want to stay home? Do you have a bad feeling about going?" The woman suddenly asked in alarm. "I can take you home right now if-"

"No, Mom," the brunette quickly assured her with a soft laugh. "I… I guess I'm having a few denial issues myself. Don't worry, I just need some time to adjust to how things are going to be from now on."

The redhead breathed a huge sigh of relief, and stole another hug from her only child. "Oh, good. Now, have fun, take a lot of notes, and don't forget to take your medicine, all right?"

"All right," the young girl replied, faking another smile as she hurriedly kissed her mother's cheek and ran for the bus's door, which all the other students had begun climbing through at the insistence of the teachers that would be serving as chaperones.

As she waited for her turn at the end of the line, she inwardly cursed herself as she faked another smile and wave for her mother, who had begun walking back home with one of her friends' mothers.

'_Why am I such a coward?!'_ she snapped at herself as she stepped up into the bus, and immediately began looking for a friendly face as the kids in front of her chose seats, one of which had been the boy she had been staring at earlier. She couldn't stop herself from sneaking another look at him as she nearly marched past his seat.

Their eyes met briefly as he looked up, and an irritated smirk crossed his lips as he sneered at her.

Flushing slightly as she struggled not to cry in front of the other students, she forced herself to look away, and look for a friendly face again.

This time, her search was successful, as a cheeky lighter brunette waved at her, and gestured to the seat she was in. Feeling a little better, the darker one kept her steady march as she approached the bus seat, and slid in next to her best friend who put a comforting arm around her shoulders.

"You really shouldn't bother with Machida, Haru," the lighter brunette consoled her almost fiercely in a soft voice, so that the other teenagers wouldn't hear. "He's a jerk, and you deserve so much better than him."

Haru shifted uncomfortably in her seat, but returned her friend's hug. "I tried to tell Mom again," she said miserably. "The words wouldn't come out."

The other girl sighed tiredly, and shook her head as the few kids still in the aisle managed to find seats, and the few teachers began filing in at the front of the bus. "Haru, it won't be the end of the world if you just tell her the truth. You've got the grades, you've got the heart, and you've got the determination. You'd make a great doctor, if you can ever get up the guts to just tell your mom that you want a different major than what she wants you to take."

"Hiromi," the brunette moaned as she buried her face in her hands. "She's been talking about this since we were ten, you know that. I don't want to hurt her, but-"

"Hey, Haru," a deep voice said from the seat behind them, one beefy arm draped over the back of the darker brunette's chair. "Excited about the trip?"

"Sure," she replied as she turned in order to look at the guy speaking to her, grateful for the distraction he provided from her little problem. "How about you, Tsuge?"

He shrugged a little, a wide smile on his chiseled face as he ran a hand through his short brown hair. "I've been looking forward to this trip for the past month! I heard that the place we're going to be staying in is actually a mansion that was built in the time of the-"

"Students," Mrs. Nashima said over the bus's intercom. "All the names have been accounted for, and we are ready to go, so those of you who are still standing need to find your seats so that we can get the show on the road."

After a bit of grumbling, the remaining standers found seats, and the bus roared to life before slowly making its way out of in front of the school, and down the busy street.

"As you were saying, Tsuge?" Hiromi asked flirtatiously as Haru leaned back in her seat tiredly, although the slightest trace of a smirk played upon her slim lips.

Tsuge resumed his lecture on the retreat that the senior class was going to be spending the night at, allowing Haru's mind to wander as the bus driver turned on the radio, and the chatter of the other students rose to a dull roar.

It was just a simple problem. Well, several problems, to be exact.

As far back as Haru could remember, her mother had talked about the day when they would become a mother-daughter team in her quilting business, which included several published books and a few TV specials. Haru sighed, thinking about all the times she had been excited as a child to be taken out of school so that she could go with her mother to yet another convention where countless fans would wait for the chance to see the famous Yoshioka Naoko, face to face.

Her heart twittered uncertainly, thinking about all those strangers that would look at her whenever her mother would proudly announce that Haru would one day follow in her footsteps.

Now, don't get her wrong. She loved to quilt, especially with her mother while they discussed their lives and troubles.

But the slim brunette had spent enough time in hospitals, thanks to her exhausting childhood illness and general clumsiness, to grow to admire those brave heroes in the long white coats, who struggled to save lives every day, or at least improve them. She knew that it was a thankless job most of the time, and that the shifts were long and grueling, but if she could just save one life, make at least one difference that would leave someone else better off, than the extra years of schooling and trials would be completely worth it.

If only she could gain the courage to tell her mother that she didn't want the future that had been planned out for her… She sighed slowly, so that Hiromi and Tsuge wouldn't notice her melancholy as the bulky boy's fingers unconsciously played with the long brown strands of her ponytail.

Her large brown eyes once again strayed a couple seats in front of her, to a certain boy with jet-black hair.

Machida was sneaking a glance back, but she wasn't the one he was looking at, Haru could tell immediately.

He only wore that soft, adoring look when he was staring at Hiromi. She knew that from experience.

The darker brunette forced her eyes downward, before she could lock them with the boy's again. Her heart gave another lonely heave, having known since the moment she fell for Machida that she didn't stand a chance with him.

He was the coolest guy on campus while she was just… Haru. The girl anyone could call to find out what they had missed in class, or when a pet-sitter was needed on short notice.

She was the girl next door, nothing more. Guys like Machida were the ones that had the prettier, more talented girls throwing themselves at their uncaring feet. He loved her best friend almost as much as her best friend despised him.

That was probably why he was always so rude to her, Haru concluded as she shifted her gaze to the window on the other side of Hiromi, which was quickly fogging up thanks to the lighter brunette's breath and body warmth. Machida was probably hoping that if he got her to fall out of love with him, he might have a chance with her best friend.

Despite the fact that Hiromi hated him with an unholy passion. The hazel-eyed girl was actually a little happy when her darker friend fell for her stalker, to temporarily get him off her back if nothing else, but even that joy waned with the boy's obnoxious behavior to one of her favorite people.

On a whim, Haru reached across her distracted best friend, and used one finger to draw a circle and tap two dots inside it onto the fogged-up glass, completing the look with a silly looking 'u' for a smiley face.

'_That's going to be me, one day,' _she promised herself as Hiromi and Tsuge broke off their conversation in order to look at her handiwork. _'One day, I will be living a life of my choosing, and I will be happy.'_

"I think you need to take a few more art classes, Haru," Hiromi giggled as the moisture collected a little too much in one of the eyes, and a single drop of clear liquid dripped from it until it looked like the smiley face was crying. "I thought for sure that you could do something a little better than that."

"You know she got straight 'A's in art," Tsuge quickly defended, but Haru held up her hand to keep him from getting worked up again.

"Why don't you tell us about that college you want to attend, Tsuge? How's the plan coming for your master's degree in law?"

Tsuge beamed at her, and immediately launched into another speech about his plans for the future. He had always been fond of talking, so having him around was useful for when Haru didn't feel like talking at all.

Hiromi listened to her crush's oratory breathlessly as Haru slowly lost interest, sighed, and laid her head on the lighter brunette's shoulder for a nap.

If she had to listen to Tsuge talk about the obscure points of being a lawyer the whole three hours it would take to travel up the mountain for the science trip, she would doubtlessly lose her sanity.


	2. Melancholy

**Chapter Two: Melancholy**

_The water was icy cold as it suddenly claimed her in its embrace. Her head slammed against the sharp stones, making pain explode over her scalp as she involuntarily cried out._

_That proved to be a mistake as the freezing water rushed into her mouth, making her choke and flail in the water, unable to see anything through the darkness as she slowly began to drown._

_Suddenly, a pair of hands grabbed her, one by the shoulder, and the other-_

"Haru, wake up," Hiromi hissed as she shook her best friend's shoulder, and made the girl slip off of her resting place.

The darker brunette gasped in shock as the terrifying dream lost its grip on her. She put one hand to her chest, and tried to order her heart to resume a normal pace. "Th-thanks," she whispered to the lighter brunette with a wan smile.

"What was it, Haru?" Tsuge asked with real concern. "Did something bad happen in your dream?"

"Yes…" she answered slowly as she pulled her navy coat a little tighter over her slim form. "I was drowning."

Tsuge gasped in horror as Hiromi shuddered convulsively.

"But someone saved me," she quickly told them, a small smile working its way onto her face. "At least, I'm pretty sure that was what was about to happen when the other person started grabbing me. Hiromi woke me up before I got out of the water."

The lighter brunette giggled as she pointed out her window. "Well, we've arrived, and I wasn't about to leave you snoozing in the bus."

"Thanks," Haru replied with a light giggle, even as Tsuge began shaking one of her shoulders curiously.

"Who was it?" he asked, making the darker girl turn in order to look at him with confusion. He sighed with slight irritation. "Who saved you in the dream?"

Haru shrugged one of her shoulders as the bus came to a halt in front of a large mountain manor that happened to be the bed and breakfast they would be staying in. "I don't know, Tsuge. I couldn't see anything at all." She stood up as the other students did the same so that they could start filing out of the long vehicle, and grinned at her best guy friend. "But it couldn't hurt for me to stay away from large bodies of water for a while, would it?"

"Not at all," he assured her, although he still looked worried.

Hiromi laughed at him as she slipped behind Haru into the aisle. "Honestly Tsuge; it was just a dream. Haru's smart enough to not let herself drown." Smiling mischievously, the lighter brunette poked her best friend in the back. "Were you pushed into the water?"

Haru shook her head firmly as she slowly walked down the aisle, and tried to make the collar of her white turtleneck sweater come higher up her neck to combat the slightly cold air as she stepped out of the bus. "I don't think so. It felt like an accident, and I get into those pretty frequently."

"Now _there's _the understatement of the century," Machida drawled from right next to the opening of the bus, making Haru yelp in surprise and leap away from him, right into the back of a teacher.

"Hey! That is _not _needed, Yoshioka-san!" the middle-aged environmental teacher snapped at the startled girl as she backed away from him, bowing respectfully as her face turned several interesting shades of red from embarrassment.

"I swear it was an accident! It won't happen again," she swore up and down as the teacher walked away from her, grumbling under his breath.

Machida laughed coldly, making the girl flush even more darkly. "Point made. Honestly, Haru; you're a walking disaster. Have you ever considered-"

"Don't you dare," Hiromi threatened him with a growl as she marched past him in order to free her bag and Haru's from the pile slowly being built from the contents of the storage compartment of the bus. "Really, Machida, stop it _right now_."

"Well, maybe I will," he purred at her, his voice turning low and seductive as he slowly stepped closer to her. "_If _you agree to be my partner for the hike."

"Drop dead," she snapped at him as she slipped away, and tossed Haru's duffel bag at her. "I go for higher-ranked mammals than rats."

He flinched, but smiled anyway. "Oh, good one, Hiromi. Come on, you _know _you're dying for a date."

"If you don't stop bugging me, you're going to have a date with my fist! Come on, Haru," Hiromi said harshly as she grabbed her dead silent best friend and began hauling her to the tall building that they would be staying in for the night.

The darker brunette looked over her shoulder longingly at the boy, but then Tsuge was suddenly at her other side, smiling sadly for her.

"I think you're lucky that Machida isn't interested in you, Haru. The only thing he's ever done with girls' hearts is break them over his knee."

"Thanks," Haru mumbled unappreciatively as she lowered her eyes to the ground, her heart tearing apart inside her chest. She held her small green duffel bag to her chest, wishing that she could just disappear and be done with it.

She already knew that Machida was a womanizer, and that all his past girlfriends despised him for reasons they flat out refused to talk about. But that didn't change the fact that she loved him. Maybe if he met up with a good girl, one that made him want to start acting like a gentleman, he could change for the better-

Oh, who was she kidding?! If he had even the slightest interest in her, he would have done something about it by now besides torment her. It's only been a month since she fell head over heels for him…

She sighed sadly as the line at the front desk slowly grew smaller, and Hiromi finally passed her a small key to the room they were going to share. Mutely, she waved a small goodbye to Tsuge, and followed her best friend up the stairs and down a long hallway.

Hiromi glanced over her shoulder, and sighed as she unlocked their room. "How did you ever fall for that jerk anyway, Haru? Two months ago, you didn't care two cents for him, and now it's all you can do to smile."

Haru sighed as well, following her best friend into the room and tossing her bag onto the bed closest to the large windows that were shrouded in dark drapes. She threw them back, and doused the room with dull grey light from the outside. "I don't know, Hiromi. I just don't know."

Hiromi suddenly wrapped her arms around Haru from behind, and squeezed her affectionately, her hazel eyes struggling not to cry.

"Please, Haru," she whispered. "Get over him soon. I want my best friend back."

"I'm right here," the darker brunette immediately answered, although her tone was soft.

"No. Only your body is. _Please_, Haru. You can do so much better than Machida, and I want you to start acting like yourself again."

"So who should I aim for, then?" Haru struggled to say without tears. "Who, Hiromi? You know guys are never interested in me for over twenty-four hours."

Hiromi squeezed her a little harder, fighting back tears of her own. "You just wait, Haru. The right one will come soon enough."

The darker brunette smiled wanly, and turned around to hug her best friend before unzipping her duffel bag to sift around for the things she would need for the hike. "Speaking of which, are you getting any closer with Tsuge?"

Hiromi flinched, and sighed. "Not really. I've been dropping hints right and left, but he's not taking them. I don't think he's interested."

"Maybe he just doesn't realize that _you_ are. You know how impossibly dense he can be sometimes," Haru said with a small smile as she clipped a compass and small flashlight to the belt loops of her black jeans, and slung a small but stuffed bag over her shoulder.

"He's not the only one," Hiromi muttered.

The darker brunette looked at her with surprise. "Who else?"

Hiromi opened her mouth to reply, but then stopped herself, sighing sadly. "Machida, of course. Who else would I be talking about when it comes to density?"

ooOoo

To her credit, Haru really did try to pay attention to the guide as he talked about the area's history, and the various wildlife that lived in the area. Her feet moved up the track, her hands occasionally took notes, but her mind wandered like a curious child.

There were only two weeks left until graduation. Her mother already had all of her college paperwork ready, and even a nice evening dress for the formal after graduation; despite her protests that she probably wouldn't go to the party, since she was never allowed to actually dance, thanks to an embarrassing incident concerning a punch bowl and a chocolate fondue fountain at her very first school dance. Poor Mori still couldn't bring himself to come within ten feet of her since then.

"_But Haru! It's the last high school dance you'll ever get to attend as a student!"_

Haru groaned, wishing that her mother would pay a little more attention to what she had to say. But no. Even when her mother needed to go out of town for conventions, she still called in three times a day, on top of having Tsuge's mother to do check-ups on her as though she was still ten.

She shook her head again, and struggled to pull her attention back to the present as Hiromi suddenly started pulling on the navy sleeve of her favorite long coat.

"Man, am I glad that you're _my _partner," the lighter brunette gloated as she practically skipped down one of the smaller paths that branched away from the main one. "What do you say that I find and identify the plant life, and you draw it for the group journal?"

"Sure," was all Haru could think to say, grateful that her best friend had actually paid attention to the assignment.

Hiromi cast a look behind her to the darker brunette, and sighed tiredly. "Don't tell me you were thinking of _him _again!"

"No. It was my problem with Mom," Haru answered honestly, casting her dark eyes back for an impulsive look towards the scattering group.

Tsuge and Machida had been unwillingly paired up, since both of them had failed to produce a partner of their own, but it looked like they were agreeing on at least one thing.

And that was to follow Haru and Hiromi down the same mountain path.

A glance forward was enough to tell her that her best friend could see that the boys were following, but she clearly couldn't make up her mind as to whether to be happy Tsuge was following them or angry that Machida was too.

Hiromi sighed, and faced forward again, whispering fiercely. "Whatever you do, Haru, don't talk to Machida. Don't acknowledge him at all. He'll only hurt you again if you say something to him, and he apparently likes girls that ignore him."

Haru smiled wanly and nodded, not sure if she would be able to ignore the pounding of her heart, which seemed to sing _Ma-chi-da! Ma-chi-da!_

Dang it! How on earth would she be able to ignore _him_?!

Hiromi cast another look behind her, and sighed in defeat. "There's some laurel flowers over here, Haru. Think you can draw them?"

The darker brunette nodded, and allowed her friend to drag her a little off the path to where a small lavender-covered bush grew. She pulled her class sketchbook out from her shoulder bag, flipped to a new sheet, and started drawing dutifully.

"Hiromi! What a surprise to see _you _on the same path!" Machida said broadly, making Haru flinch slightly in her work.

"Yeah, as if you weren't following us on purpose!" Hiromi snapped at him as Tsuge kneeled next to Haru, and began drawing the laurel bush as well.

"Sensei isn't going to be too happy if we draw the same thing," she said softly with a small smile.

"Don't worry, Haru," Tsuge answered with a grin. "I draw so badly compared to you that it would take a genius to figure out we're drawing the same thing."

"So why doesn't Machida do the drawing?" she asked, her heart pounding wildly in her ears from the mere thought of sitting next to her crush.

Tsuge scoffed. "He can't even draw stick figures. It's up to me to save our grade, but I don't think it'll be by much."

"Come on, Hiromi," Machida tried to coax to the girl firmly facing away from him with her arms crossed over her chest defiantly. "How can you know I'm not the man of your dreams if you never give me a chance?"

"Because you're an arrogant bigot!" she snapped. "I wouldn't date you if you were the last male on earth!"

"I'm not arrogant!"

"So why do you think I want anything to do with you?! I've been telling you for the past year that I'm not interested, but your tiny mind can't comprehend that I'm not playing hard to get! Just get a life, and go after someone that will actually accept your attentions!"

"Like who, Haru?"

The dark brunette's heart seemed to stop as she felt his eyes pass once over her slim form.

Machida started laughing, almost falling to the ground in his mirth. "You've gotto be kidding! I would never sink _that _low."

Haru stopped drawing as Tsuge wheeled around, his eyes on fire. "What do you mean, 'low'?" he snarled in an angry tone.

"Isn't it obvious?" Machida chuckled. "For starters, she's not pretty, not interesting, and she's a bore to be around. I honestly don't know how you two can stand being around her without falling asleep."

A deafening slap echoed through the forest as Haru painfully turned around, her face paler than usual.

Hiromi's hand was raised to her opposite side as Machida fell back in shock, his face brutally turned in the direction her hand was. "How dare you say that about my best friend?!" she roared at him as Tsuge stomped up next to her.

"_Our _best friend," he snarled, helping himself to a big fistful of the boy's shirt, and picking him up with one hand to force the shell-shocked boy to look at the pale frail girl he had just insulted. "Apologize. _Now_!"

Haru looked at Machida, fighting hard not to cry in front of him as he looked up at her.

He sneered again. "Just face it, Haru. No guy will ever be interested in you until you get a personality. I'd sooner date a snail than you. They're cuter. The only way a girl like you could get a love life would be if the guy in question was stoned, drunk, and blind!"

Tsuge immediately started pounding the boy, and Hiromi nearly ran around the offensive schoolboy to wrap her best friend in a comforting hug.

But Haru wouldn't have it. Not this time.

As her heart broke inside her chest, she dropped the sketchbook and pencil she had been holding, stepped out of Hiromi's reach, and started running like her life depended on it.

"Haru!" the lighter brunette screamed as the darker one made a bee line for the woods far beyond the set path.

"Haru, come back!" Tsuge yelled as he apparently gave chase.

Not that it mattered. Despite her nearly constant fatigue and clumsiness, Haru was a very fast runner. She owed this quality to the fact that she was late to school on a regular basis and usually ran the entire way there, but she didn't want to think about that right now.

To her, it almost felt like she was leaving miniscule heart shards behind her as she ran up the mountain in a mindless daze, making a trail that no one could ever want to see or understand.


	3. Suspense

**Chapter Three: Suspense**

All Haru could comprehend was the overwhelming need to be alone. There was no path here, and the trees seemed to close in around her as she continued to run. At times, they came close enough to tear and scratch at her favorite navy jacket and her sensitive skin, even ripping the shoulder bag away from her numb body. One rebellious branch even managed to tear the small hair band from her signature pony tail, allowing her plain brown locks to fly behind her as she continued to run, despite the cuts on her hands and face from offending thorns.

Ten minutes after Hiromi and Tsuge's voices had faded away behind her, she fell gasping against a tree, her arms in front of her in order to somewhat cushion her impact. She slid down its trunk tiredly, curled up as tight as she could manage, and began to weep at its base as Machida's words played and replayed themselves in her head.

"_No guy will ever be interested in you… ever…"_

She clung to the sides of her long navy jacket, trying so hard to make it feel like someone was holding her, telling her that what Machida had said wasn't true, but she knew it was of no use.

'_What if he's right? What if that's why no one's ever really fallen for me? Am I that ugly?'_

She wasn't a beauty, she already knew that, but… uglier than a _snail_? Was she really so pathetic?

She sighed, deciding that he had to be right. Machida had dated more girls than anyone could hope to count before he started pursuing Hiromi, so he had to be an expert on what made girls attractive. If he said that snails were more attractive than her, then he was probably right.

Haru leaned against the tree, and attempted to wipe the tears and blood from her face. "I wish… I wish I had… never fallen for… _him_," she sobbed out loud, now that she didn't have to worry about being overheard.

But she _had_ fallen for Machida, and there was little she could do about it. Her heart had been demolished, and her tears were eventually spent, leaving only a tired resignation behind.

'_If I go back now, all I'll get is a scolding for leaving the trail, and maybe a few days of detention. But then I'll have to face __**him **__again.' _Haru sighed sadly, and slowly got to her feet. _'I'll have to face __**him **__again, anyway. At least there's only two more weeks of school, and I'll never have to see him again.' _

But first, there was one technical question that needed answering.

"Which way did I come?" she asked out loud with a voice hoarse from crying, looking all around for a familiar landmark. But since she hadn't paid attention to anything but her sorrow, there was nothing to guide her.

Haru sighed in irritation and slapped herself in the face sharply. "Brilliant. First rejected in the worst way possible, and then lost in a strange forest. This day couldn't get any worse." She pulled out her compass, but without knowing which way she had gone in relation to the trail, it couldn't help her in the least.

Frustrated, she jammed it back into her long coat pocket. "Come on, Haru," she whispered furiously to herself. "You got yourself into this stupid mess, now get yourself out."

She paced in passionate concentration in front of the tree a few times before looking at it curiously. It wasn't very tall, but the thick branches were gnarled and intricately entwined like a work of art. How strange, that she didn't notice its beauty before.

Another strange thing about it was the fact that it appeared to be tipping backward, like the force of her impact with it had bent it backwards. But, that couldn't possibly be the case! The trunk alone was twice as thick as her body.

It was about then that she noticed the sound of running water, and the bushes that surrounded the large willow like subjects attending to a king.

Her heart pounded in her chest, but her feet began to disobediently step closer to the tree, carefully stepping around the huge roots that fell over the ground like tentacles. Once she was close to the trunk, she laid one cut-up hand on it in order to balance herself past a bush as she leaned over the edge for a closer look.

On the other side of the tree was a sheer cliff, although it was only fifteen feet down. There was some dry ground directly underneath her, perhaps twenty feet across and ten feet out… until it reached the roaring river that gushed with spring floods.

Haru stared at the glistening waters as her heart froze in her chest. Her nightmare replayed itself in her head, until she could feel the cold waters rushing through her throat and lungs again.

She shuddered convulsively. _'Maybe it would be a good idea to leave this place right now. It may have been just a dream, but…'_

Her first mistake was not thinking to heave her body back from leaning over the edge before trying to escape. The second was trying to run away from the tree without considering the roots.

It was that precise moment when gravity, the unfortunate brunette's lifelong enemy, decided to assert itself once again.

Haru's foot became caught between two thick roots, enough to make white-hot pain shoot from her ankle to the rest of her body as she fell with a scream. Falling seemed to take eternity, but passed as quickly as a heartbeat at the same time.

Before she fully realized what was happening, her head slammed against something hard enough to make darkness claim her as its own.

ooOoo

The forest seemed unnaturally silent as the slim brunette lay unconscious, like it was studying her, calculating what to do with her.

Although there wasn't even a hint of a breeze, the gnarled willow tree's branches, at least the ones that trailed over the side of the small cliff, swayed slightly, and then impossibly stayed outstretched enough to keep the weak sunlight from crossing the defenseless girl's face and disturbing her already troubled rest.

The bushes around the tree began to grow bigger at an unnaturally fast pace until there was practically a hedge surrounding the willow. No one would see the willow's secret, if a living creature even dared to approach it.

Occasionally, a heartbroken cry of "Haru, answer me!" rang out through the still mountain forest, but no other human caught sight of the tree that day.

ooOoo

Haru groaned as she slowly moved one hand to the back of her pounding head. "Ow…" she whimpered as tears sprang to her tired eyes.

Her hand met with not only a large bump at the back of her head, but rough bark. She grabbed it, and brought it in front of her to see a rather thick branch that had fallen from the tree overhead.

She looked around as she sat up, horrified as her memory began to return.

Not only was she at the bottom of the steep cliff she had been looking down at what felt like a century ago, but the sun was quickly sinking behind the mountain.

"Mom's going to kill me," she muttered to herself as she struggled to get to her feet.

A bolt of familiar pain shot up her leg, making her cry out as she fell onto her back again. "Oh no. Not again!"

Haru managed to pull herself into a sitting position again, and began pulling up a black pant leg in order to inspect her right ankle. It was swelling slightly, but at least it wasn't lying at a funny angle. Biting her lip in unhappy anticipation, she closed her eyes, and started flexing her toes, deliberately moving them around inside her shoe as she moved her foot up and down painfully.

"Thank heaven!" she exclaimed with relief, even as tears of pain continued to flow down her face, disturbing the dried dirt clinging to it. "I thought I broke it again! A sprained ankle's going to be tough to work around, though," she murmured softly, knowing from experience precisely what to do.

Haru grimaced as she rose to her knees, and crawled like an infant to the water's edge, despite her reluctance to go anywhere near the river, and began trying to untie her shoe in a non-painful manner. "I should have let Mom buy me that cell phone when I had the chance," she said regretfully, even if it had meant Hiromi or Tsuge screaming into her ear for a few minutes before sending help. They had tried to tell her so many times to get a cell phone of her own, so that they could talk the few times that they weren't hanging out. If only she had listened to them…

With both her shoe and sock off her foot, and her pant leg rolled up nearly to her knee, the slim brunette bit back a gasp as she lowered her ankle into the icy water. She fished around one of her pockets to produce a handkerchief she had personally embroidered a year or so ago. Hiromi and even Tsuge have made fun of her occasionally for always carrying one or two handkerchiefs like an old-fashioned lady of quality, but she had learned long ago to never go anywhere without one.

She dipped the handkerchief into the water, and rubbed her face clean of the dirt and dried blood before dipping it again, and holding it to the back of her head for the huge bump she had gained.

The slim girl looked up at the setting sun, and around the river's edge. She listened carefully, but there was no one shouting her name, or shouting anything, for that matter.

"Did Hiromi and Tsuge give up on me?" she asked sadly before slapping herself in the face again. "No, of course not," she answered herself harshly. "They probably just went back to get help."

Seeing the dried branches and leaves all around the little beach she was trapped in, Haru suddenly realized what she could do to help them find her. "I may be clueless when it comes to boys, but at least I know how to start a safe campfire," she declared as she crawled away from the numbing water, and began sweeping as much of the leaves and branches as she could into a pile.

Once she was satisfied that her pile was big enough, she started looking around for a good place to put her fire so that it could best be seen. _'Right there looks as good as anywhere, I guess.'_

She sighed, moved a little closer to the edge of the island, and started digging a fire pit with her bare hands so that she couldn't accidentally burn down the forest and get into worse trouble. Luckily, the soft earth and sand were easily removed from the hole, although her progress was slow from inexperience.

"Thank heaven I brought…" she stopped talking, and raised one hand to her shoulder where there was supposed to be an independent strap. Her bag was gone, thanks to her flight, which meant that the matches she had brought just in case were lying somewhere in the forest.

She sighed with hopeless resignation, and kept digging as she ignored the painful throbbing in her ankle. "Maybe I can light it with two sticks instead. Drat it; that way's supposed to take forever…"

Her voice trailed off again, but not with thought.

Haru looked down into the un-seeable pit she was digging, realizing that one finger had touched something that didn't feel organic. "What the…?" she whispered, pulling her flashlight loose from the belt loop of her pants, since it was a moonless night with no light to let her see what she had accidentally dug up.

She turned the flashlight on, and pointed it into the pit. Her eyes narrowed in confusion as she reached in with one hand, and pulled out a small dirt-encrusted object. Slender fingers rubbed against it until a small ring was revealed.

Not satisfied with merely knowing what the trinket was, Haru painfully crawled back to the edge of the river to retrieve her handkerchief, dip it into the water again, and use it to clean the ring.

As she carefully rubbed the ring, with the flashlight cradled carefully in her lap so that she could see what she was doing, the slim brunette realized that it was gold, and set with a petite lily that had diamond petals.

"_Wow_," Haru whispered as she looked at the tiny treasure between her fingers, using the flashlight to get a good look at the trinket. "How did such a pretty thing get all the way out here?"

Judging from how deep she needed to dig on what appeared to be undisturbed ground, it had been lying there for decades, at least.

Suddenly, Haru noticed that the light didn't play right off of the inside of the ring. She polished the inside a little better, and brought it closer to her eyes as she held the small flashlight in one hand.

There was an inscription on the inner part of the gold band. She angled the flashlight a little better so that she could see what it said.

"Ego sum macies quod…sententiaprofessio mei," she stumbled over the saying, more than certain that she was mispronouncing more than one of the words. "Hmm. I wonder what that means."

An utter silence fell over the forest right then, one that was so profound that even the river that flowed by the slim girl seemed to fall still.

Haru's head snapped upwards as she looked around, her heart thumping wildly inside her chest.

Although everything around her had fallen as silent as a tomb, nothing really seemed to change physically, and she pointed her flashlight everywhere to make sure that such was the case.

She listened, desperately hoping to hear someone call her name, but it never came.

After a moment of staying dead silent, Haru began laughing at herself. "What am I, a little kid scared of the dark? If there were so much as wild animals up here, my class never would have been able to come here in the first place."

Almost of their own accord, her large brown eyes strayed back to the ring she had been holding tightly in one fist, the imprint of it temporarily on her palm.

'_I bet this pretty thing would fit me. Wait, what am I thinking? I could have just robbed a grave for all I know, I'm injured and lost, but I'm thinking about a piece of jewelry?'_

"Priorities, Haru," she reminded herself in a singsong voice, looking around with the flashlight to find some sticks to rub together to make a fire signal. She wasn't all that certain if the trick really worked, but she wasn't exactly in a position to be choosy. She hadn't eaten anything since the sandwich and lemonade before the hike, and the few snacking peanuts she had brought were lost with her bag in the woods.

She found some sticks that would serve her purpose within an arm's reach, but both of her hands were already full with the flashlight and ring.

Haru growled at herself as she laid the flashlight on her lap. She was cold, hungry, and injured; facts that were asserting themselves all at the same time over her body. It stood to reason that her temper would start to wear thin at that point.

"I might as well get it over with and stop thinking about it," the slim brunette muttered under her breath as she took the troublesome trinket in her left hand, and held the right one beside it to put the ring on.

The gold band slid around her finger as smoothly as silk, finding just the right place to nestle comfortably. Although her hand was still dusted with dirt, the ring made it look elegant. Almost like it belonged there.

"What do you know? It fits perfectly," she said with a giggle, although she knew she would have to take it off before she returned to the-

The silence that had nearly overwhelmed her was suddenly broken with a pounding that sounded almost like a drum.

Haru wheeled around in her position with a gasp, pointing her flashlight like a weapon. She pointed the light all over, at the bushes, the tree, the cliff, but saw nothing as the steady beat continued.

With a freezing heart, she pointed the light to the spot of ground that she had fallen unconscious on a few hours ago. There was a hill there, and it was steadily getting bigger as the earth began to tear open, like someone was trying to escape the cold imprisoning dirt.

As the earth continued to fall away from the emerging hill, Haru realized that was exactly what was happening. The hand holding the flashlight began to shake uncontrollably as the dirt finally fell away from what had been beating against it.

She stared in mute horror as a dirt-covered skeleton emerged from the earth haltingly, like it was trying to remember how to use its limbs.

But this was no ordinary skeleton, even if one ignored the fact that it was alive. Her science teacher had a fake one hanging in his classroom, and even if he hadn't, Haru would have known that the long tail and feline skull were not normal for a human-shaped body that was taller than her own.

Bony fingers brushed the dirt from the arms and ribcage as the skeleton calmly stepped out of its grave. Miniscule red threads began to form and flow over the bones until they could start weaving into flesh and blood, and organs began to return from the grey dust within the ribcage.

Then the living dead turned its head looked at her, as she stared back open-mouthed, her breath coming in short uncontrolled spurts. At least, she was fairly sure that it was looking at her. It was kind of hard to tell with those hollow eye sockets.

The muscle tissue over the emerging face formed into a soft, almost sad smile, and it- **he**, she was suddenly certain from the build of his body and certain _other _reasons- extended a hand to her as he slowly made his way towards her.

On the outstretched hand was a gold ring, which the zombie firmly placed on his finger while repeating the strange oath.

"Ego sum macies quod sententia professio mei," he said in a raspy unused voice that gave her cold shivers. When _he _said the words, they seemed like they were taken from a line of poetry, each syllable perfectly pronounced.

While her recitation had turned the world silent, his seemed to make the forest erupt into sound. The river behind her suddenly roared with gushing waters, the wind began howling, and the mountain itself seemed to applaud the creature's words, with an echo that filled Haru's mind, but not her ears.

'_**Scream**__, Haru! Run, do something! Anything!' _She opened and closed her mouth repeatedly as he drew ever closer to her, but her voice refused to work properly.

He was but a step away from kneeling in front of her now, and touching her face with that rejuvenating hand. His knees were bending to place his face closer to hers.

What was left of her nerve broke. With a half-strangled cry, she wheeled around while rising to her feet to start running, dropping the flashlight in the process.

But she had forgotten about her twisted ankle, and about the fact that she didn't put her shoe and sock back on. A fiery blast of pain shot through her leg as she put weight on her bare foot, making her cry out as her body convulsed, and began falling again.

The water was icy cold as it suddenly claimed her in its embrace. Her head slammed against the sharp stones, making pain explode over her scalp as she involuntarily cried out.

That proved to be a mistake as the freezing water rushed into her mouth, making her choke and flail in the water, unable to see anything through the darkness as she slowly began to drown.

Suddenly, a pair of hands grabbed her, one by the shoulder, and the other around her waist. The hands lifted her out of the water as easily as if she weighed no more than a feather.

Haru coughed up the cold water for a few minutes, actually clinging to one of the creature's shoulders as he held her, cradling her in his surprisingly comfortable arms. She shivered violently from the cold between her gasps for air, since her whole body had been submerged into the freezing water and the wind was still blowing fiercely. Although the flashlight was gone down the river, or so she assumed since she could see nothing, she could feel fur begin to grow where her skin was touching him, now that his hide had apparently grown back. Even as the fur finished growing, a stiff cloth began to weave itself between the soft wispy strands and her fingers.

The strange being holding her breathed a relieved sigh as she stopped coughing, and then gently pressed his furry lips against hers in a rather polite kiss.

Shock, fear, and denial began to swirl around her heart and mind as she felt a strange tingling ripple from her lips to the rest of her frozen body, until she was completely consumed by a power she could not begin to understand. She desperately tried pushing him away, but there was no strength left in her limbs.

The power soon overcame her tired aching mind. For the third time that day, she succumbed to the darkness, and she knew no more.


	4. Denial

A/N: This is something I forgot to put in the last update. Someone under the name 'anon' sent me an untraceable review concerning my writing style the update before last. If you're reading this, I want you to know that I'm not offended by your observations, and that others have made that particular one before you. I'm fixing it, so don't worry. Criticism is valued, especially when it's constructive.

Without further ado, the next chapter!

**Chapter Four: Denial**

Machida scowled at his teacher as he held an icepack to one black eye. "How many times do I have to say it?!" he demanded. "It's not my fault that the stupid girl ran off!"

"According to Hiromi and Tsuge, it was," Mr. Nachima replied coldly with his arms crossed. "This may surprise you, Machida, but I _do _pay attention to my students, and Haru reeks of sincerity. Whatever you said to her must have been over the line to get her to run off; don't you feel even the slightest bit of guilt that she's lost and alone out there?"

The boy shrugged. "I don't see why I should. I think I did everyone a favor when she left-"

The teacher suddenly lashed out, grabbing the boy by the collar of his shirt, and dragging him closer so that the clueless student could see the fury in his eyes. "I don't think you completely understand the situation," he hissed. "If she is not found, her mother can quite possibly press charges against you, and the school can press charges against this retreat and force it to shut down. At best, you're going to be served with a week's worth of detention. At worst… this could go on your permanent record to haunt you for the rest of your life."

Machida bit his lip nervously, but didn't look quite convinced.

Mr. Nachima sighed angrily. "Just because you don't care about the girl doesn't mean that no one else cares. She may be clumsy and timid, but she's still a good girl, and if she doesn't come back safe and sound, I am more than certain that we can count on the rest of the student body to ensure that the next two weeks will be the longest of your life." He shoved the boy away, and faced the window. "Get out of here. You sicken me."

Machida scowled, and stomped to the lobby's door to storm out. As he passed the threshold, something caught his foot and sent him to the polished hardwood floor with a startled yell.

He landed squarely on his face, making the teacher laugh as he turned around to see what the noise was for. Machida looked up to see fifteen classmates lining the hall, and more glaring at him as they exited from the dining hall to go to their rooms.

"You _monster_," Hiromi hissed angrily, drawing her foot back to her body as she glared at him. "You don't even care if she dies out there?!"

He tilted his chin at her, and tried to grin seductively.

"Don't you dare smile like that," Chika snapped at him. "If anything happens to Haru because of you-"

"That's all I've heard since she went missing," he complained as he grabbed for the ice bag that another student kicked away from him. "Why do all of you care so much about her, anyway?!"

"Idiot!" Hikaru snarled as she kicked him hard in the shin. "Haru's a sweetheart, and you should have never treated her that way!"

"Stop picking on me!" Machida demanded to no avail, even running down the hall from the girls until reaching the room he was staying in. He frantically tried to turn the knob, pounding on the solid wood when the door refused to open. "Tsuge! Let me in!"

"Rot in the hallway!" called the harsh reply from the other side of the door. "Don't bother me, I'm working on something!"

Machida looked down the hall in terror at the students rushing at him, and continued running desperately down the hallway, up two flights of stairs, and down another corridor.

But to no avail.

Just as he came up against another dead end, a door tucked away from sight suddenly opened wide, revealing an old man with snow white hair. In his other hand was a portable phone.

"What is the meaning of this?" he asked in a calm British voice that reeked of authority, making the pursuing students stop dead in their tracks, and look at each other nervously.

Hiromi stepped forward, and pointed an accusatory finger at the cowering Machida. "This boy antagonized my best friend until she ran off into the woods, sir. We just want to make sure that he understands that he should be sorry for what he's done to Haru."

The old man looked at the boy coldly. "I see. This friend of yours, could you please describe what she was wearing today, and what she looks like?"

"My height," Hiromi answered promptly. "With dark brown hair that brushes her shoulders when it's down and eyes the same shade. She's on the unhealthy pale side since she gets sick or injured easily. She's pretty, _despite what this snail thinks_," she added, putting heavy emphasis on the last part while glaring at Machida again. "Oh, and she was wearing a long navy jacket over a white turtleneck sweater with black jeans."

The man grinned broadly, and raised the phone to his ear. "Yes, my lord, Yoshioka Haru is the girl's name. Yes, I will call off the search immediately, will you bring her here? She did? Oh my goodness; the poor child. All right, I'll inform her friends. Good night, my lord, and I'll see you in the morning." He pressed a thumb onto one of the phone's buttons to shut it off, and smiled warmly at Hiromi. "You don't need to worry about your friend anymore, Miss. She's in the best hands there is."

"Where is she? Is she okay?" the light brunette begged, taking two steps closer as the other students crowded in, asking several questions at the same time.

"Hold on, now," the old man chuckled good-naturedly as he raised the hand with the phone in a gently defensive gesture. "Yes, yes, Miss Haru is fine. She has a sprained ankle-"

"Not again," Hiromi groaned.

"-and a few scrapes and bruises, but my lord has assured me that she will fully recover."

"Who's your lord?" Hikaru asked curiously.

The man smiled broadly, his crystal blue eyes glowing with respect. "The owner of a vast majority of this mountain, including this building. He would have brought her straight here, but his personal manor was closer, and time was imperative. Apparently the girl accidentally fell into a river, and he needed to get her warm immediately. Oh, don't worry," he assured Hiromi as a thunderous gasp escaped her throat. "My lord is a true gentleman, and has one of the biggest hearts I'll ever know. As I told you earlier, your friend is in the best hands there is. Oh, and the snail's getting away, if you want to give him more exercise," the man said with a wink, pointing at a quietly retreating Machida, who immediately started running down the hall.

Heartened by the man's encouragement, the students gave chase again, but Hiromi stayed behind long enough to hug the dear old man affectionately.

"Thanks," she whispered happily before running down the hall, not to torment Machida, but to inform Tsuge of the good news.

The old man smiled mysteriously at the girl's retreating form, and hobbled back to his office to inform the others of the master's return.

ooOoo

Haru groaned as her head rolled around, not appreciating the pounding headache that clouded her senses as she slowly awakened.

"Now now, dear," a soft musical voice crooned as a cold cloth rested on the back of her head from a gentle touch, since the brunette was apparently resting on one side of her body. "Try to take it easy for a while. Those are quite some lumps you've acquired."

"Hmm?" Haru asked confusedly as she opened her eyes.

A beautiful middle-aged woman with white-blonde hair was leaning over her with the cold wet cloth in one hand. She smiled warmly at the girl, and moistened the cloth in a small water-filled bowl on a small nearby table. "My son tells me that you hit your head, rather hard, twice today. The bumps on your head are quite impressive."

Haru giggled as the welcome cloth dabbed at her scalp again. "Well, like my mom always says, if you're going to do something, do it right."

The woman laughed as her sapphire blue eyes full of relief. "That's one way to look at it, I suppose. How does your ankle feel, dear?"

Haru grimaced as she stiffly rose to a sitting position, making the warm quilts she had been bundled in fall into her lap. Wincing slightly, she angled both of her feet around underneath the heavy warm quilts she was nearly buried under. The offending ankle had been smeared with some sort of oil that was cool and pleasant to her injury, despite the many warm blankets that had been piled on top of her, and the brunette was intimately familiar with the feel of gauzy bandages that had been wrapped around her ankle. "Hey… it feels a lot better!" she exclaimed with delight.

"It's not healed, dear," the older woman said with a light laugh. "I'm not quite _that_ talented in my little hobby."

Haru suddenly looked up at the woman with interest. "You're a doctor?" she asked while looking around the room.

It was large and old-fashioned, with a huge dark green canopied bed as a center point. There were large blue curtains lining one wall, so she couldn't tell what time it was by the sun's position, or even lack of presence.

"I'm a healer," the woman corrected with a gentle smile as she walked across the room, and busied herself with something that clinked like china before pouring some liquid that Haru couldn't see. "Doctors rely too heavily on machines for my taste. Healing bodies shouldn't require all the toys medical students seem to need."

"Oh," Haru commented, holding one hand to her head, and feeling the bandages that the woman had wrapped around her head almost like a headband. "You mean you just used bandages and herbs?"

"More or less," the woman agreed as she turned back to the slim girl, a flower-decorated teacup in one hand as she walked over to the large bed, and offered the cup to her. "Speaking of which, Haru, you should drink this. It will help with what pain you still have."

"Thank you," the brunette answered politely as she took the cup, and took a small sip. Liking the taste, she drained the teacup of its contents.

"There's a good girl," the woman encouraged her with a gentle smile.

Suddenly, Haru froze. She swallowed the last of her tea, looked at the teacup, and then looked at the blonde woman again.

"Is something wrong, dear?" the middle-aged woman asked with concern.

"Yes," Haru said slowly, setting the teacup aside on the small table next to her. "I don't know your name or where we are, but you know my name? Just what is going on here?"

The woman flinched slightly, and sighed. "It's a good thing you're sitting, dear. Tell me, what do you remember before you blacked out the last time?"

Haru's head was still pounding slightly, but she closed her eyes, trying to remember. _'I twisted my ankle at some point… yes, I was lost in the woods. I was trying to build a signal fire-'_

Her chocolate brown eyes snapped open with shock as the rest of the evening's events returned to her. "That zombie _kissed _me!" she gasped, holding both hands to her mouth in horror. Her hair brushed against her wrists, still slightly wet from the river she had accidentally fallen into. A glance to her left showed her long jacket thrown on a peg over a warm fireplace, with her shoes and socks resting on the floor close by.

The woman laughed softly. "That he did. I promise that my son isn't usually that forward with a girl he just met, Haru, but in order to be freed from his curse, I'm afraid he truly did need to seal your marriage with a kiss."

"Marriage?" the brunette asked in a tiny voice, her large eyes trailing down to her hands. The diamond lily ring was still sitting on her finger innocently.

No. This _couldn't _be real!

Desperately, Haru tried to pull off the ring, but despite its comfortable hold, it was stuck as tightly to her finger as her finger was to her hand.

"Please don't do that, dear," the woman admonished, taking the girl's hand between her own to keep the brunette from hurting herself. "The ring is going to be on your finger until the day you die, which will hopefully be _several_ decades from now."

"This can't be happening!" Haru cried out, crawling on the large bed until she was freed from the blonde woman's gentle grasp. "I'm not married! There was no priest, no vows-"

"Yes, there were," the woman said with a sad smile, looking at the lily ring. "What do you think you were reading off that bit of gold earlier? Also, a priest was not necessary for that particular ceremony. All that was needed were the rings, the binding vows written on them, and you. My son has been waiting a terribly long time for you to set him free from that curse."

Haru had made her way to the other side of the huge bed, shaking her head numbly as she held it between her hands. "This can't be happening," she repeated to herself as tears began to fall down her face. "There's no such thing as curses. I'm having a nightmare."

"No, Haru," the blonde woman said sadly as she walked around the bed. "You're awake for now, I assure you. Trust me, dear… none of us wanted to trick you into this. Not even my son wanted to do this to you. If there was any possible way we could have avoided this without leaving my son in that cold limbo, we would have done it in a heartbeat. I'm sorry, Haru. But you're a von Gikkingen now, for better or worse."

The brunette couldn't face the blonde woman anymore, choosing instead to bury her face into one of the pillows on the bed as more tears escaped her, sobs wracking her body.

The blonde woman looked at the younger one sadly, and reached down to touch her shoulder gently. "Would you like something to eat, dear? My son says you haven't eaten in at least thirteen hours."

Between her sobs, Haru shook her head into her pillow, not wishing to say anything to anyone. If the blonde woman had asked her that _before _informing her of the marriage, she would have said yes eagerly, but now food was the farthest thing from the poor girl's mind.

Her new mother-in-law sighed again. "I understand, dear. In that case, I'll leave you to rest. My son has agreed to leave you alone until morning, so… rest well, dear," the blonde woman wished her, pressing two fingers against her lips before pressing the fingers to a part of the weeping brunette's head that wasn't covered in bandages. "Things won't seem so bad in the morning, I promise."

Unable to think of anything she could do to further help the young girl crying on the bed, the woman walked across the large bedroom, turned the lamps down, and let herself out the large oak door as the girl murmured a heart-broken "Machida…" into the soggy pillow.

As she shut it behind her, a tall figure emerged next to her in the shadowy hallway.

"How is she?" the figure asked softly, making the blonde woman turn around to face him sadly.

"She's distraught, my boy. One cannot expect her to be anything else, considering the circumstances."

"I suppose not," the figure sighed, holding out his arm to escort his mother to her room for some well-earned rest. "Did she at least drink the tea?"

"She did. Are you sure that she needed that particular brew?" The woman asked worriedly. "You could have wasted it needlessly, you know."

"I don't think so, Mother," the tall figure disagreed as he patted her arm comfortingly. "I just have a hunch that she needs it. Even if the potion doesn't change anything, at least my conscience will be clear in that regard. I still wish you had let _me _explain things to her," he added in a slightly hurt tone.

"Not a chance," the blonde woman disagreed. "Haru will have enough reasons to hate you for some time without you being the bearer of bad news on top of everything else. Give her time to calm down before you truly meet her, son. She'll need it."


	5. Understanding

**Chapter Five: Understanding**

Haru could only assume that she had cried herself to sleep, as her large brown eyes slowly opened, her headache still present, and the lumps on her head were still throbbing slightly.

She blinked twice to remedy her burning eyes, looking around the fairly luxurious room in a numb detachment as her earlier conversation with the blonde woman replayed itself in her head. "Married," she whispered in disbelief, throwing the covers that had miraculously been thrown over her body again off so that she could swing her legs off the side of the bed.

A twinge of pain reminded her not to stand on her right leg as she prepared to rise. Grimacing a little, Haru heaved herself to her feet by using one of the carved bedposts, using random pieces of furniture and the walls to lean on as she expertly hopped on her good foot to reach the large curtains. There were no clocks in the room, and she was wearing no watch, so she had no idea what time it was.

Wincing as she was forced to stand on her bad foot for a few seconds, she pulled on a thick cream-colored rope next to the long navy folds, making the curtains part dramatically. The room immediately filled with pale light.

Haru stumbled to one of the two high chairs conveniently placed next to the window, and sank into it as she stared past the glass panes to the outside world.

Suffice it to say, they weren't on a mountain. Instead, what met Haru's gaze were a flower-spotted meadow and a large lake that glistened in the weak but spectacular light of the dawn coming over some mountains in the distance. A deer and her fawn were grazing in the meadow, seemingly oblivious to the house that couldn't have been even a mile away.

Haru sat up a little straighter as she looked out the window to the ground far below. "I must be on the third floor," she mused as she quickly calculated the distance between the ground and the window.

Just where was this place, anyway? Was it possible that the creature- her husband, she quickly corrected herself- could have carried her from the mountain in a scant few hours? Just what was he capable of?

At the thought, she suddenly remembered how the zombie had a cat's head and tail, and the fur she had felt on his shoulder after he fished her out of the river. "Just what is he, anyway?" she asked herself, although she didn't really want to know. She leaned back against the comfortable chair despite her aching back, and sighed sadly. "I'm mistakenly married to a stranger that isn't human, and I don't have the slightest clue where he's taken me. What now?"

A polite rap on the bedroom door distracted her from her thoughts. "Who is it?" she called nervously.

Whoever it was hesitated for a minute, perhaps wondering how to announce him or herself. "Your husband, with breakfast. May I come in?" a rather smooth voice asked nervously.

Her heart froze in her chest, but her stomach growled angrily to remind her of its empty state. She bit her lip nervously, and took a deep breath for courage as she wrapped her arms protectively around the front of her chest. "Yes?" she squeaked uncertainly.

The large oak door swung open soundlessly to reveal a tall feline, holding a breakfast tray that had several silver-covered dishes between his gloved hands, as well as a small teapot. He stepped through the doorway, giving the door a single glance to encourage it to close behind him.

Haru stared at him mutely as he cautiously approached her. He definitely looked better than he had when she last saw him. His new fur was orange over the top half of his face and cream on the bottom, although the orange underlined each of his slanted eyes, which were mint green. He was dressed a little more formally than what she was used to seeing, with light gray suit pants and a pressed white shirt that was more or less hidden by a crimson vest and navy bow tie. Even his hands were gloved, but an orange tail swished nervously from the back of his pants.

Come to think of it, his mother had been dressed pretty formally last night, too. Was it a family quirk, or were they trying to impress her?

Her feline husband smiled a little nervously at her, setting the tray on a table between the chairs as she flinched away from him. "I hope you like pancakes. How are you feeling?" he asked with concern.

Haru bit her lip, wondering how she was supposed to answer. She sighed, and decided to just answer honestly. "Confused. Angry. Scared. My ankle and head are feeling unusually good, though. It usually takes a couple days and a handful of pills for the pain to fade this much."

He winced noticeably, and took the other chair by the window. "Mother is quite skilled with her little hobby. As to your other comments, I must apologize for the way I frightened you last night, Haru. I assure you that it most certainly wasn't my idea, or my intention."

The slim brunette looked at him, and bit her lip for courage. "It… wasn't… I didn't mean to…" she stammered before shaking her head angrily. "I mean, I don't want to be your wife. The ring was just a misunderstanding. I don't love you; I don't even _know_ you, for crying out loud!" She tried to pull the piece of jewelry off again for emphasis, but it was still firmly attached to her finger.

He looked at her sadly, and sighed. "I suppose I can't blame you. My first impression on you was nothing short of disastrous."

"Then you'll let me go?" she asked hopefully, but the tall feline shook his head firmly.

"I'm afraid I can't, at least the way you wish me to. The vows on the rings are binding until death do us part. To be perfectly frank, Haru, I have tasted of death for _seventy-five years_, and I am fairly certain that being your husband will be far more enjoyable."

"What if it isn't?" Haru asked desperately as her cheeks flushed from naughty mental images. "For all you know, I'm a big pain. I could make you absolutely miserable, you know. You don't really want to be married to a complete stranger, do you?!"

"I don't," her feline husband answered honestly, his voice as calm as hers was panicked. "But despite our personal opinions on the subject, we are still unalterably wed." He looked at her again, his expression still sad. "Will it ease your mind if I promised not to try consummating the marriage until you become comfortable with the idea?"

The slim brunette blushed dark red, and stared at her lap in embarrassment. "Yes," she mumbled, although she privately doubted that she would ever be comfortable with such an idea.

"Then I promise to keep to myself until then, at least. Despite what you may think, I'm no happier about having to be married to a stranger than you are. Would it be too much to hope for, to ask for just your friendship for the time being?" he asked hopefully. "Forced into this or not, I would at least like to start the marriage off on friendly terms and save a few years of grief for both of us."

Haru thought about it for a few moments, and sighed in defeat, since she didn't really see a better alternative. "Sure, why not?"

Her husband smiled with relief. "Aren't you hungry, Haru?" he suddenly asked, in an effort to distract her as he gestured to the tray between them. "I know you haven't eaten since early yesterday."

The slim brunette didn't have to answer that as her stomach gave another thunderous roar. She laughed nervously, and lifted one of the covered dishes to reveal a small pile of blueberry pancakes, and a small jug of pomegranate syrup. "It looks good," she said dubiously as she poured the dark red liquid over the blue spotted pancakes. "Would… you mind terribly, explaining what's going on?"

"Not at all," he assured her as she started eating hungrily. "I fully realize that I owe you that, at least." He sighed, wondering where to begin. "Well, to start off, my name is Baron Humbert von Gikkingen II, but I prefer to be called Baron. I'm from a long line of powerful sorcerers that have been around since Rome was united under a single ruler."

Her eyes went as wide as they could go, but she said nothing as she swallowed her bite of pancake, allowing him to continue.

Baron nodded his thanks, and gestured for her to keep eating. "My family is actually the descendants of the first-born child of the Roman emperor. He would have become the emperor himself, but he was unusually gifted with magic. Even back then, there was too much fear and suspicion attached to those who had, ah, _unusual _capabilities. The firstborn son faked his death so that his family could continue to rule and conquer surrounding nations. While that was happening, he further explored his gift, eventually creating this dimension, where he and his descendants could live in peace, although none of us can stay here for too long."

"Why is that?" Haru asked, sipping her tea after pouring a little milk into her steaming teacup.

"We're busybodies," he answered blandly. "None of us can keep our noses in our own business for very long. Every so often, we _have _to leave and take a look around. More than occasionally, there would be things going on that would need to be fixed, so we would try our hand at it."

"Why are you a cat?" Haru suddenly blurted, putting one hand to her mouth in horror, nearly stabbing herself in the wrist with the fork. _'I can't believe I just asked that!'_

Baron smiled a little. "I was wondering how long it would be before you said something about my appearance. My grandfather was requested to come to the Cat Kingdom to help the current monarch against a cousin that went berserk and was making a try for the throne by soaking the kingdom in blood. My grandfather was successful in eliminating the problem, but he didn't quite get out of the kingdom in time, so he was a tall half-feline from that day onward."

"You turn into a cat if you stay too long?" she asked, leaning forward slightly despite herself as she finished the pancakes. _'I can't believe I'm really having this conversation!'_

"That's correct. One has until the following Human World's sunrise to keep their humanity after entering the kingdom, but the problem with that is that it's always afternoon in the Cat Kingdom, so it's much harder to tell when time is running short."

"Oh. Well, if that's the case, how come your mom's a human?"

"She isn't. She was just wearing an amulet to make her look like one so that you wouldn't be scared of her when you woke up. She, my aunt, and my cousin are all felines like me."

Haru nodded, wondering what she could say to that. "So… how come you're not wearing an amulet?" she asked tentatively.

Baron sighed. "I was pretty sure that you had gathered from last night that I wasn't fully human, and even if you hadn't, I… I wanted you to know the truth about me from the beginning. Would you prefer if I wore an amulet for a while?"

Haru didn't quite know how she was supposed to answer that, so she asked another question instead. "How did you get cursed? You don't seem like the type to… uh, let it just happen," she said a little nervously, wondering if she was overstepping her bounds.

The sad grimace turned into a scowl. "I became careless. I was courting a young lady in Japan seventy-five years ago. Her name was Shizimu Chihiru. I had a rival for her that wasn't above playing dirty, so he lured me to that spot by the river by pretending to be an injured hiker. I had taken to carrying both rings around with me at all times just in case, so after Ryuichi managed to hex me stiff, he fished the ring on your finger out of my pocket, and tied a rather complex spell to it before making the earth swallow my body. The terms of the curse, were that _if _I were to ever regain my life, a pure-hearted maiden would need to find the ring Ryuichi had cursed, and activate the marriage spell on it so that I wouldn't be able to court Chihiru, even if I ever managed to come back. After cursing me and the ring, he buried it so that there would be even less of a chance that I would be freed. It would have been much easier for him to have killed me, but Ryuichi had always been the type to adore unneeded suffering, _especially _when it comes to rivals."

Haru thought about that, biting her lower lip a little. "I'm sorry about Chihiru," she said honestly.

Baron looked at her, and sighed once more. "Thank you. So am I."

"What do the words on the rings mean?" she suddenly asked, still curious from the night before.

"They translate into 'I am thine, and thou art mine'. Latin can sometimes be a trifle formal."

Haru looked down at her bare feet a little numbly, leaning against the back of her chair again. "Well, couldn't your cousin have helped you out after you got cursed? I don't know; bribe a girl that understood the consequences into activating the spell instead of waiting for someone like me that might not have shown up at all?"

"I'm afraid not. Part of the curse closed down the portal between this dimension and the Human World until you released me, so my family couldn't do a thing to help me. Did I ever thank you for doing that?" he asked suddenly, reaching out to hold her hands in his gloved ones, making her flinch slightly as he kneeled in front of her chair, his green eyes glowing with gratitude. "Decomposing underground for numerable decades while remaining conscious of the fact is not a fate I would wish on anyone, even Ryuichi. Thank you for releasing me."

"Y-you're welcome," Haru stammered, a little unnerved by the feel of his strange touch, even if it was dulled by the sturdy cotton gloves he was wearing. She suddenly thought of another question. "If… you don't mind my saying so, 'von Gikkingen' sounds just a little too recent to be Roman," the slim girl said hesitantly, wondering if that was something she wasn't supposed to notice.

"Our family name changes every now and again, when there are only female heirs to pass the lineage to. We prefer it that way, so that we can continue our work without dealing with unwanted publicity. Before Mother and Aunt Rebecca married Father and Uncle Geraldo, we were called van Helsing, and my cousin's last name is Moon."

Her jaw dropped. "You're kidding, right? _Van_ _Helsing_?"

He nodded, grimacing slightly. "I assure you that 'Dracula' was pure literary fiction. There _were _vampires, before they were exterminated by my Great-Uncle Abraham, but he stated firmly time and again that none of them were named Count Dracula. He always regretted not bribing that author into using a different name in his book after saving him from a vampire attack."

"You sound like you knew him personally," Haru said as her flesh crawled from the idea of vampirism being real.

"I did. He died nearly eighty years ago. Did I mention that one does not age in this dimension?"

The slim brunette shook her head numbly, unable to say anything.

"Well my Roman ancestor figured that out after some time. The only way any of us can age is when we return to the normal world for an extended amount of time. Even the wildlife out there hasn't aged a day since they were brought here," he added while gesturing out the window, where the fawn was now frolicking in the flower-spotted meadow. "The only things that can change or grow in this dimension are the plants, the sun and moon's position, and occasionally the weather. I suppose that explains why my mother is still alive, doesn't it?"

Haru stared at him, her brain nearly overloading with all the information he was showering on her. "So… how old are you?"

"Including the time I spent decomposing by that river, I'm one hundred and forty-six. But physically, I'm only twenty. Might I inquire as to _your _age?" he asked politely.

The slim brunette swallowed hard. "Eighteen," she whispered, her voice nearly a squeak.

"Oh, good," Baron said with a sigh of relief. "I thought you were fifteen at the most. Do you mind if I ask _you _a few questions about yourself? Fair is fair, after all."

She slowly shook her head. _'He's one hundred and forty-six?! This guy's a cradle robber! And I can't even pull the 'minor' card!'_

"Now, this is just a guess, but judging from your words yesterday before you tripped over the tree, a boy you had feelings for hurt you in some fashion, and you were distraught enough to run away into the woods alone, despite the fact that you didn't know where you were going?"

Haru's mouth open and shut as she flushed from embarrassment. She looked down at her lap, noticing that he hadn't let go of her hands yet. "It sounds so childish, when you put it that way," she muttered under her breath.

"That depends completely on what he did to you. What was it that he did to send you sobbing into unfamiliar territory by yourself?" Baron asked intently, rubbing her hands very gently between his own.

The slim girl shifted uncomfortably in her high back chair, wishing he hadn't asked her to repeat that. "Well… he said he would never sink low enough to date me after laughing hard about the idea, and that the only way I could ever be able to get into a relationship would be if the guy in question was a drug addict, drunk, and blind."

"Did he, now?" the tall feline asked in a low unfriendly tone before letting go of her hands so that he could stand up and start pacing on one side of the window chairs.

"He also said that snails were more attractive than me," Haru admitted, still looking at her lap with flaming cheeks. "But he said it in a worse way than that."

Baron actually began growling, a terrible sound that made the hair on the back of her neck rise up, like she was watching a horror movie. Then he suddenly looked at her again, his eyes on green fire. "Tell me, does this boy have sight problems?"

"No, his eyes are fine," Haru said hastily, holding up her hands in a defensive gesture. "He's just… an arrogant jerk."

Strangely, it actually felt good to say that out loud. Good enough to make her blink in confusion.

'_Wait a minute… since when can I stand to insult Machida, even if he deserves it?'_

Some of the fire went out of Baron's eyes. "If he's arrogant, why did you have feelings for him?" he asked curiously. "If you don't mind my saying so, _you_ don't seem like the type to find such a quality to be attractive."

Haru shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not, and I don't know. I just started liking him for no reason about a month ago." She sighed. "Not that it matters, anymore, if I'm really your wife. You're not going to let me off the hook about the marriage, are you?" she asked regretfully.

"No," he said firmly. "Even if I wanted to, this particular spell doesn't allow for divorce. Whether we like it or not, we're going to be married for the rest of our lives." Suddenly realizing the firm tone he was still using, Baron managed to look a little shame-faced. "But I promise it won't be so bad, Haru. I realize that our first meeting was less than ideal, but I'll make it up to you. Tell me; what is something I can do to prove I'm not a bad person out to take advantage of a situation?"

Haru looked at him, biting her lip. There was only one thing she really wanted right now. "Can I… see my mom and friends again?" she asked timidly. The last thing she wanted was for them to start worrying about her. "I don't know, maybe tie up some loose ends?"

"Certainly. How much longer do you have for school?"

"Just two weeks. All that's between me and a diploma are the final exams."

Baron looked at her, and smiled warmly. "It would be quite a shame for you to be this close to finishing, and then drop out. Do you want to finish high school?"

Haru nodded, but then started laughing softly. "You know, Machida's probably going to fall on the ground and kiss your feet, when he figures out you're the reason I can't pursue him anymore."

Baron smiled very grimly. "He may fall at my feet, all right, but _not _out of gratitude. I think this arrogant little boy is going to need a little talking to."

The irritated snap in his words said all too clear which direction the planned 'discussion' was going to go.

"You don't have to do that," Haru said quickly. "Hiromi's probably been making him miserable since it happened. Oh, shoot! She must think I'm dead by now!" the brunette suddenly exclaimed, using the back of the chair to help her rise to her feet painfully.

"Don't worry about that," Baron said in a soothing manner as he put one hand on her shoulder, and eased her back into the chair. "I called the retreat last night to find out what your full name was, and to let them know that you were fine. I had a rather strong suspicion that you would ask to go back, so I told them you would be returned in the morning."

Haru stared at him. "… Thank you." _'Maybe this guy isn't so bad, after all.'_

"You're welcome. May I ask you for a favor, before I take you back?"

She nodded.

The orange and cream feline smiled a little nervously as he kneeled in front of her again. "I'm seventy-five years rusty on knowledge of the Human World. I _could _have you brief me on what's been happening, but you would more than likely skip over smaller details that are common knowledge, and that method would take far too long anyway. Do I have permission to take the information directly from your mind?"

"You can _do _that?" the slim brunette asked in amazement.

"I could shock you with some of the things I can do, Haru. I promise that it won't hurt, and I won't touch any of your memories that are personal. Do I have your permission?" he asked again, raising one hand to the side of her face, at her temple. "I don't really need it to access your thoughts, but I won't do it without your permission."

She looked straight into his glowing green eyes, and held them for a moment. He looked right back at her, seemingly allowing her to look straight into his soul.

Haru sighed, and reached up with one hand to press his fingers against her temple so that her feline husband could take the information he needed. "I hope you appreciate how much I trust you right now," she muttered, not quite believing that she was going to let him do it. A nod punctuated her admittance.

He smiled, and said one more thing before whispering an incantation. "I do."


	6. Shock

**Chapter Six: Shock**

Hiromi was up early the following morning, glued to one of the windows in the front parlor so that she would be the first to see her friend return.

"Anything yet?" Chika asked, looking up from her notes as she walked past the light brunette.

"No," Hiromi answered dismally, wondering if yet another accident had befallen Haru.

"Cheer up, okay? It's only 8:15. She'll be back soon enough."

The lighter brunette sighed again as the bookworm passed her, forever writing in her notepad.

Hiromi banged her head softly against the glass, nervously chewing her lower lip.

"Anything yet?" a new voice asked her.

She yelped, slamming against the glass as she turned around before realizing that it was only Tsuge.

He smiled thinly, and leaned against another window. "I'll take that as a no."

"No, that's right," she said with a nervous giggle. "Haru isn't back yet."

Tsuge grimaced, resting his forehead on the cool glass. "She _better_ come back, that's all I have to say."

"The guy from last night said that she would," Hiromi reminded him. "He said that his lord was a perfect gentleman."

"And you're satisfied with that?" he demanded. "The guy's his boss; he's _supposed _to say flattering things about him, whether or not they are actually true. For all we know, the guy's a pervert that _dreams _of finding a pretty girl like Haru all alone in the woods."

"Don't say that," she begged him as her flesh shuddered. "Waiting around is bad enough. Besides, why would this lord admit to knowing where Haru was if he was just going to have his way with her and risk a lawsuit?"

Tsuge grunted, his expression still dark. "I'll have his head if he's put a single finger on her," he vowed under his breath.

Hiromi stole another look at him, her heart in her eyes. She could understand his worry. After all, he and Haru had been buddies practically since they were in diapers. Hiromi had come into the picture only five years ago.

"Look!" he said excitedly a few minutes later as Mr. Nachima and the old man from the night before quickly walked through the front parlor and out the door as dust began to appear from over the hilly dirt road leading up to the mountain manor.

Tsuge managed to beat Hiromi out the door after the two older men, and down the concrete path so that they could greet Haru that much quicker.

What shortly came into view made Hiromi's mouth drop open shamelessly.

Haru, with bandages around her head like a crown was sitting, red-faced and staring determinedly into her lap, in the passenger seat of a rather expensive-looking silver car that had the top down, right next to someone that could have easily passed for a top male model.

He was _gorgeous_, with tawny orange hair that seemed to catch the sun's rays just right to make his hair shine like gold.

Hiromi judged him to be around the age of twenty, which seemed a little young for him to already be a lord. He was dressed a little formally, with a blood-red button-up shirt covered with a light grey jacket.

The car pulled carefully around the front of the manor, making the older man slowly walk forward with the aid of his cane. "It's good to have you back, my lord," the man said with a slightly shaky bow.

"Thank you, Timothy," the young man said with an almost regal grin, shutting off the car so that he could get out and walk around it in order to open Haru's door, revealing his pants to be the same shade as his jacket. "It's good to be back."

Like she weighed nothing at all, the man picked up the slim brunette, and carried her closer to the manor, revealing one of her shoes between her hands, since one of her feet had a number of bandages on it.

The slim girl's face burned a little as the tawny man held her. "Um, I can still walk, Baron. Just let me have a crutch, and I'll be fine."

"Ah, but there isn't a crutch in the current vicinity, now is there?" he gently reminded the brunette with a soft smile.

"Haru!" Hiromi cried out, rushing past the old man and her teacher so that she could hug the brunette while she was still in the handsome man's arms.

"Ow, watch the back!" the darker brunette yelped, making the lighter one jump back apologetically.

"Oops, sorry," she giggled as Tsuge stormed up to the lord, looking at him very hard.

"So, you're the mysterious lord?" he asked gruffly.

"That would be correct," the golden man said, narrowing his eyes dangerously. "Would you happen to be Machida?"

"No!" Haru said quickly, pulling on one of his shoulders quickly before things could take a turn for the worse. "Baron, this is Nashito Tsuge, and Hashima Hiromi, my best friends. Hiromi, Tsuge, this is Baron Gikkingen. Please be nice to him, he saved my life last night."

"The river?" Hiromi asked with a shudder, making the darker brunette nod grimly.

"I fell in because of my ankle. I twisted it and was out cold until sunset."

Mr. Nashima coughed a little, and stepped forward. "Tsuge, Hiromi; please go back inside. We need to speak with Haru and the lord alone."

The bulky teenager scowled, and scuffed one of his shoes against the dirt before following a happier Hiromi back into the small manor.

The teacher sighed as he looked at the two younger people that remained. "I'm sorry for inconveniencing you, sir. Haru doesn't run off very often, at least from school activities. She's _usually_ the level-headed one," he added with slight emphasis, making the girl cringe guiltily.

"That's quite all right," Baron assured him with a gentle smile, holding the brunette a little closer and making her blush again. "I rather enjoyed meeting Miss Haru. She wasn't an inconvenience at all, I assure you."

Mr. Nashima sighed. "I'm still going to have to give you three days of detention, Haru. You should have known better than to run off, no matter what some boy said to you."

"I know," she muttered, looking at the shoe in her lap dejectedly. "I'm sorry." _'__**Believe me**__, I'm sorry.'_

The teacher gave a sad snort. "That in itself makes your situation better than Machida's. The only reason _he _was sorry was because the other students took it upon themselves to torture him until you came back."

"I didn't know they cared that much," she giggled, struggling a little in the tall man's arms. "Are you sure you don't want to put me down, Baron?"

"Out on the cold dirt and rocks? Don't be silly," he chided her gently, a tilt of his head signaling to the two other men that he would be stepping into the manor.

They followed behind him respectively, but Haru couldn't think about them right now. All she could see were the students, some in the hallway, some poking their heads out of their rooms in order to gape disbelievingly at her, sitting in a handsome man's arms like a new bride entering the family home.

'_You __**had **__to go and think that, didn't you?!'_ she mentally scolded herself as Baron looked down at her again, smiling gently.

"Might I inquire which room is yours?" he asked politely.

She swallowed hard. "Second floor, room 13."

Still smiling a little, he made for the stairs.

"There are some things I would like to discuss with you, my lord," Timothy said politely, although one could see a slight trace of a smirk.

"I'll be right down," Baron promised before rounding the staircase to keep climbing.

But something Haru immediately noticed were the glares of pure jealousy the other girls were giving her. She bit back an ironic laugh. _'Not that I can blame them. Baron __**is **__breath-taking as a human. Man, that sounded incredibly shallow.'_

"Here we are," the tall blonde said, gently setting her in front of her room. "Can you manage from here?"

"I should be able to," the brunette answered with a tiny smile as she balanced her body on the door frame with one foot raised to spare her poor ankle. "I hurt myself on a regular basis, so I'm used to making do with what limbs still work."

A tiny smile tugged at his firm lips. "Are you truly that clumsy on a regular basis, Haru?"

She nodded, shame-faced. "Unfortunately. Even the jokes turn old after a few months."

"I bet they do. Tell me, Haru; do I have your permission to call on you at your home?"

Haru opened her mouth to ask why he was asking such an obvious question, but then noticed the students that were not-so-secretly spying on them from the stairwell and partially opened doors. She could see his ears twitch slightly, like he was still a cat, and understood that he could already tell they were behind him.

"I'm probably going to be grounded after Mom finds out about this, if she hasn't already," she admitted. "But, I wouldn't mind seeing you again. Did I tell you where to find me?" she asked, tilting her head a little to the side, silently referring to the information he had downloaded from her mind to his own.

Baron caught the silent question. "Yes, you did. I'm afraid I must leave to talk with Timothy, but I'll see you soon." He reached out for her right hand, and brought it to his lips for a gentle kiss.

Haru gulped nervously; even though his lips had only touched the long gloves he had given her to keep anyone from guessing that she was wearing a wedding ring. "See you soon," she replied, trying to keep her voice steady.

Baron smiled at her again, and walked away in that effortlessly graceful stride that was obviously second nature to him.

As he turned down the now vacant staircase, Haru fished around the pocket of her long navy jacket, hoping that she hadn't lost the key to the room.

By some lucky chance, it was still there. Smiling gratefully, she inserted it into the lock to open the door.

But then she became distracted by someone poking her in the back. She turned around to see a flabbergasted Hiromi.

"Haru…" she struggled to say. "What was _that _all about?"

The darker brunette shrugged a little, and opened the door so that she and her best friend could escape into it before the other girls could try confronting her. "Baron made it clear that he would like to pursue a relationship with me, and I decided not to squash his hopes. It's not like I'm seeing anyone else, and at least he has manners."

Hiromi followed her into the room, shutting the door behind her before the other girls could slip through as Haru hopped from wall to dresser to her bed gratefully. "You're seriously going to give a complete stranger a chance when you're smitten with Machida?" she asked incredulously.

"Not anymore," Haru growled, rubbing a part of her head that wasn't covered with bandages. "I hit my head twice last night. One of them must have knocked me to my senses, because I don't care about that little rat anymore. You were right; I _can _do a lot better than him, and I have every intention of doing so."

Hiromi stared at her best friend a little longer, a wild smile slowly overtaking her features. She squealed with delight, and jumped onto the bed to hug the darker brunette happily. "I got my best friend back!" she crowed, hopping up and down on the bed like an excited child.

"Ow, Hiromi! My back, remember?!" Haru yelped, reaching up to painfully push her friend away.

"Oops, sorry," the lighter brunette giggled, looking at her friend's hands curiously. "Hey, what's with the gloves?"

Haru shrugged a little, and slid off the bed in order to repack the few things she had taken out of her bag the day before. "When I hit my head the first time, my hands landed in a poison ivy patch."

It wasn't much of a lie, but Hiromi bought it without a peep, since Haru had never lied to her before. The gloves were so long that they reached nearly to her elbows, and her sleeves overlapped it to her wrists anyway, so the lighter brunette couldn't even see her best friend's arms to confirm the fib. The darker brunette paused from repacking what remained of her things long enough to drip three drops of her medicine into her mouth, grimacing at the familiar unwanted taste, which reminded her of acidic bile. She was supposed to take it every morning just after getting up, but figured that an hour late couldn't hurt.

ooOoo

The darker brunette couldn't help but feel guilty, as the students assembled to load their bags into the bus again, and file into the vehicle for the ride home,

Just before she hopped into the bus with Hiromi's assistance, Haru suddenly got a strange feeling at the back of her neck, like someone was watching her. She turned to the manor one last time, to see Baron standing in the doorway.

He smiled warmly at her again, and waved goodbye. She smiled a little nervously, and managed to wave goodbye before Hiromi dragged her into the bus. She was merely three seats away from Machida, who was holding an ice pack to his face and scowling angrily at her around it.

Not that she could tell, since she was being accosted on all sides by curious and jealous students that wanted to hear _all _about Baron.

So she spent the entire trip home smiling and glossing over supernatural details about her handsome rescuer. With each half-lie that crossed her lips, her stomach clenched worse in revulsion, since she had always hated liars.

'_These next two weeks are going to be the longest of my life.'_


	7. Hesitation

**Chapter Seven: Hesitation**

Hiromi awkwardly walked with Haru's arm around her neck to counteract the twisted ankle, since Tsuge was carrying their bags to make it easier for Hiromi to help her.

He hadn't stopped scowling since that morning. "I'm telling you, Haru, there's just something weird about that guy."

"I remember people saying the same thing about _you _before we became friends in kindergarten," she replied with a stiff tone, a friendly smile covering her irritation from his insistence that something was off about Baron. "Anyone can seem weird before you get to know them, even you."

He looked away, now unable to meet her gaze. "I just don't like it," he said once again. "I just don't like it at all."

"Relax, Tsuge," Hiromi giggled, helping the darker brunette up the steps to the little house Haru shared with her mother. "It's not like he asked _you _out."

The tall bulky youth stopped short, his eyes wide and disbelieving. "Haru?" he managed to choke out.

"He didn't ask me out," Haru comforted him with a laugh, unlocking the front door while leaning against Hiromi. "_Yet_, in any case."

"Haru…" he managed to choke out again, following her and Hiromi into her home. "You _can't _just go out with any guy that asks! What will the other students say?! What would your _mother _say?!"

"She'll probably be glad that my love life is picking up," Haru answered, opening a nearby closet so that she could fish around for the often-used crutch. "As to what the other students think, it's not important. I don't go out with guys because everyone approves of him."

Good thing, too. She doubted anyone would approve of Baron after finding out what he _really _looked like.

"Then again, you've never gone out with anyone before," Hiromi said thoughtfully before shrugging her shoulders. "Oh well, there's a first time for everything."

"Mom?!" Haru called out, even as her stomach twisted into an uncomfortable knot. "I'm home! Can Tsuge and Hiromi stay for dinner?"

No answer.

"Oh, here we go again," the lighter brunette groaned, moving around the small couch in the middle of the main room in order to look at the fridge. "I knew it," she grumbled, glaring at a small piece of paper that had been taped to the thick metal door. "Another note. 'Haru- I forgot to tell you about the week-long quilting convention that I'm supposed to direct, starting today. Money for groceries is in the usual place, and call this number when you get home. Love, Mom.' Why does she keep forgetting to tell you about these conventions and cruises when you're actually home?!" she fumed.

"She probably doesn't want me to beg her to let me come and skip out on the last days of school," the darker brunette as she easily hobbled through the slightly messy room, with the aid of the crutch.

Privately, she had always thought that she was actually more coordinated _with _the crutch, since she never got into an accident while using one.

Hiromi shook her head angrily, and stole her bag back from Tsuge, who actually looked disappointed. "Let's go, Tsuge. We know the rules."

The tall youth sighed sadly as Haru gave both of them a warm hug, since her mother flat out forbade having friends around the house when she was not there to supervise them. "Try to think about what I said. It's just not a good idea to start seeing a complete stranger, merely because he saved your life."

"It was a good _ice-breaker_, though," Haru said with a giggle, pushing just hard enough on his chest to encourage him to follow Hiromi out the door. "Let _me _worry about Baron, okay? He's not so bad." _'If he was, you'd have never seen me again. Dang it, I wish I could tell him the truth without having him go berserk.'_

Before her oldest friend could say another word, Haru quickly shut the door, and leaned against it, breathing heavily.

"I can do this. I can do this," she repeated, trying to force herself to believe it. With labored steps, she moved around the couch and various quilting equipment lying around the room, and leaned against the counter while grabbing a cordless phone from its cradle. She pounded the number on the note into the dials, and held the mechanical device to her ear anxiously.

'_How am I going to say this? "Hey, Mom, guess what? I eloped with a hundred and forty-six year old stranger last night, and he's a feline, too"? Oh, she is just going to explode-'_

But the only thing that came to her ear was a busy signal, which was soon followed by a mechanical voice telling her to leave a message after the beep.

She took a deep relieved breath. "Hey, Mom, I called like your note asked me to. The trip was okay, but I twisted my ankle again and banged my head around some. There's a lot more to tell you, but I'd like to tell you what they are when you come back. Well, I love you a bunch, and I'll talk to you when I can. Bye."

Haru hung up the phone, feeling guilty for being so relieved. She knew she would have to eventually tell her mother about the little misunderstanding that had led to her premature marriage, but she was not looking forward to it in the least.

She sighed again, and fished around the fridge for something to eat. There was a covered bowl of salad from two nights ago, and a few odds and ends that might make a half-decent bento box for school in the morning. The slim brunette glanced outside and sighed, just not feeling up to a trip to the store today. She'd go shopping after school tomorrow.

She made herself a thick peanut butter and jelly sandwich while toasting a single piece of bread, hoping that her little guest would show up today. He absolutely adored her homemade mulberry jelly, but there simply wasn't a neat way she could have carried her bag, herself, and the crutch along with a piece of toast smothered with jelly.

Hoping that her little guest would forgive her, if he was in the neighborhood today, she struggled slowly, painfully up the stairs, dragging her bag in one hand and her crutch in the other, forcing her to take a bite out of the toast herself while holding it steady in her mouth.

She opened the door to her messy room thankfully, throwing her bag onto a large stuffed purple animal that had been innocently lying on the floor before haphazardly making her way to the bed, tripping on a spare knitting basket as she made to lie across the bed.

Sighing sadly, she opened her window, and ripped off the bitten piece of toast before setting the offering on the windowsill.

Hoping that her little guest would make an appearance, she turned reluctantly to face the monstrous mess of her room, and started cleaning so that she would be able to move around with the crutch without making another face plant in something unpleasant. If not for her routine accidents, it was quite possible that her room would never get cleaned, at least voluntarily.

After ten minutes of throwing clothes into a hamper and organizing her craft supplies, she heard something land on her windowsill. She grinned, and turned in order to face her little visitor.

He was a large crow, fairly ordinary in every way. But he had a certain spark in the eyes that she could never mistake with another bird. She had always felt proud that she could tell, even from a block away, whether or not he was her feathered friend.

"Hello, Toto," she greeted him warmly as he ripped off pieces of the buttered toast with his beak and leaned his head back to swallow them whole, giving her an almost reproachful look.

"I'm sorry, but I would have gotten jelly over everything if I had tried carrying it with _this_," she apologized, easing her twisted ankle onto her blue-ribbon-winning quilt across the bed so that he could see her latest injury.

He cawed almost pityingly, and flew from the sill to her shoulder, rubbing his head against her brown hair affectionately.

"I knew you'd understand," she giggled, brushing her fingers over his glossy feathers. "Mom's gone for the week, so I can start leaving the downstairs windows open for you."

He cawed appreciatively, still rubbing his head against hers with deep affection.

Haru suddenly lost her cheerful mood, and bit her lip nervously. "Hey, Toto, do you mind if I use you to practice breaking some big news to Mom? I kinda did something last night that might make her blow up."

The dark bird cocked his head at her, and cawed once.

"I'm asking you because I know _you _won't spill the beans before I'm ready to," she explained, looking down at her lap nervously. She took a few deep breaths, and blurted out the truth.

"I got married to a cat last night."

Toto fell off her shoulder like someone had shot him through the window, landing gracelessly on her bed, his beak open with shock.

"It wasn't my idea, though," the slim brunette said hastily, her face turning red again. "Well, it sort of was, but not really. He's actually a half-cat. He's a head taller than I am." She pulled her sleeve back in order to pull off the glove, and show the crow what was on her finger.

He stared at the diamond petals as she sat him on her lap, so that his talons wouldn't rip up her quilt.

"I found this ring by a river, read off the words inscribed inside the band, and put it on," she explained, still running her fingers over his feathers. "I didn't know that doing it would make me Baron's wife for as long as we're both alive. I mean, I could definitely do worse than him," she said, almost to herself as she cradled the flabbergasted bird in her arms. "He's a perfect gentleman, and a powerful sorcerer besides. Aside from you and Tsuge, he's nicer to me than just about any other guy I've ever met. Now stop that," she chided him as he started cawing angrily. "Tsuge isn't a bad person, and you know it. Just a little… domineering," she said gloomily before sighing. "He takes his self-imposed role too seriously. Well, Toto? How do you think Mom will react if I tell her that way?"

The crow puffed his chest out as much as his lungs would allow him to, and began cawing as loudly and as angrily as he could, waving his wings around in a dramatic manner as he frantically turned circles in her lap, making sure to not accidentally stab her with his sharp talons.

Haru sighed, and held him close after he finished imitating her mother. "The sad part is that you're probably right. Mom doesn't even approve of _you_, how is she going to be able to adjust to Baron?" She suddenly realized something startling enough to force the crow to look her in the eye. "Look, Toto, don't try to start any fights with Baron," she said firmly. "He didn't want to trick me into this, and he could probably roast you for dinner without working up a sweat, and I love you too much for that. If it looks like things are going to turn ugly between you and him, I want you to fly away."

He cawed angrily at her, and shook his head firmly.

"Don't you take that tone with me," she chided him, kissing his head lovingly. "I don't want to lose you like I lost Yuki."

That softened the crow's displeasure a little, and he cawed softly into her ear, wrapping his wings around the front of her body, which was quaking slightly. For a bird, he had been on surprisingly good terms with her childhood pet before she disappeared without a trace.

"You've learned to get along with a cat before," she said softly, her eyes filled with a vision of soft white fur and a pink satin ribbon. "Please, for me, learn to get along with Baron?"

He cawed in submission, butting his head against hers comfortingly.

The slim brunette smiled with relief, and hugged her feathered friend again. "Thanks, Toto. Baron said that he was going to 'pay a call' on me soon, but I don't know how soon he meant."

"Haru?" a smooth voice asked from inside the room, making the girl jump up from her place on the bed, land on her bad foot, and collapse onto the bed again with a yelp of pain as Toto flew around the room and landed on her dresser, cawing angrily as he looked around for the intruder.

"Haru, please don't harm yourself on my account," Baron said with a trace of tiredness. "I don't know what your monthly quota is for pain, but I'm more than certain that you filled it last night."

"S-sorry," she gasped, clutching her bad ankle with a grimace. "You scared me."

"I seem to be making a habit of that," he noted clinically before adding an embarrassed cough. "I'll try to announce my presence in a less startling fashion in the future."

"I'd appreciate that, Baron," the slim girl said gratefully, now rising to her feet with the crutch in one arm so that she could walk around, still searching for some visible hint of her feline husband. "Where are you, anyway?"

"Check your mirror," he hinted, making the brunette step carefully around the large stuffed animal to reach the full-length mirror she kept close to the door, so she could give herself a check-up before running for school every morning.

She gasped, since her room was not the one being reflected within the mirror. It looked like a hallway at Baron's place, with an old family portrait right behind him. If she didn't personally know that it was a mirror, she would have sworn that it was merely an entryway into more elegant surroundings.

Baron was standing just on the other side, smiling nervously in his real form. He was wearing the slightly formal outfit from early that morning, but now the look was completed with a suit jacket and top hat that matched the pants.

Haru absently noted that the look really suited him.

"My apologies. Would you prefer the amulet?" her husband asked again.

"That's not it," she assured him, her eyes still huge and disbelieving. "How did you do this? It looks like I can just walk through."

"You can," he said, rubbing the darkly polished wooden cane at his side nervously. "My aunt became rather miffed that she didn't get to meet you, and my cousin was rather curious, too. Would your mother miss you too much, if you dropped by for a light supper and met the rest of my family?"

"I doubt it," she laughed. "Mom snuck away for another convention while I was out of the house again. She won't be back for a week."

He cocked his head in confusion. "I could have sworn that you were talking to someone, just before I called out to you."

"I was. Please come here, Toto," she beckoned to her friend on the dresser, holding out an arm so that he could land on it.

He flew over in a huff, landing on the offered arm effortlessly so that he could look into the mirror as well, obviously a little confused at what he saw.

The feline lord stiffened slightly as he stared at the crow, which returned the favor in full. "Is this your pet, Haru?" he asked in a stunned voice.

"Not exactly," she answered with a nervous smile, brushing his neck feathers with one finger, leaning on the crutch tucked under one armpit so that she could do so without hurting herself again. "I nursed Toto back to health a couple years back after he almost became dog food, so he drops by fairly often. Do you have a problem with birds?" she asked worriedly.

"Oh no," he hastily assured her, although he looked a little nervous. "My cousin, on the other hand, will probably try something foolish if he were to see your little friend. He believes the proper place for birds is on the dinner table, and nowhere else. It's absolutely impossible to keep birds of any kind around our home, thanks to him."

"I see." She nuzzled her friend's feathers lovingly. "I'll see you when I get back, Toto."

The large crow ran his beak through her dark hair for a goodbye, and actually snuck a glare at the tall orange feline before flying out the window again.

"Not too many girls are on such good terms with a crow," he said carefully as she adjusted her crutch slightly, and stepped across the strange boundary between their worlds.

"I know," Haru answered with a shrug. "It drives Mom crazy."

"And your father?" he asked.

Her heart turned cold. "He's dead," she said in a flat voice. "And even if he were alive, I wouldn't care what he thought about Toto, or you, for that matter."

He seemed a little taken aback by the sudden firmness to her tone, but obviously saw that it was a touchy subject for her. Being the gentleman he was, he let it drop for now.

"I'm sorry to hear that. Come along, dear. The others are waiting."


	8. Trepidation

**Chapter Eight: Trepidation**

Baron gently but firmly took away his wife's crutch, leaned it on the wall close to the mirror, and swept her into his arms with ease, still holding the polished cane with one gloved hand.

"Hey," she yelped as he started carrying her through the many halls of his family home. "I could have walked, you don't have to do this."

"It distresses me to see you limp around, with or without a crutch. Besides, this way is faster," he explained, although she could feel a bit of heat emanating from his face.

Could he have been blushing underneath his fur? She knew she would never be able to tell without having him wear the amulet.

"Does my holding you like this bother you, Haru?" he suddenly asked, making his young bride snap out of her private thoughts, and shrug a little.

"… no. It's just that, well," the slim brunette tried to explain in a slightly mumbled tone. "Men usually don't touch me at all. Even Tsuge's never carried me around like this. I'll get used to it."

"What do you mean, 'even Tsuge'?" he asked curiously.

"He thinks he's my big brother," she giggled. "In a lot of ways, he has been since we were kids, but he's satisfied with an occasional hug and thumb war as far as physical contact goes."

"Thumb war?" the tawny feline asked, looking perplexed.

Haru giggled. "It's a game I can show you later, if you want. It's a little silly, but it's fun."

As Baron laughed at her good-naturedly, she suddenly realized the state she was in.

Haru had been wearing the same clothes since yesterday, and the closest thing to a bath was her little dip into the river. She felt disheveled, dirty, and probably didn't smell all that good, but she was going to meet her in-laws looking like this? _Classy _in-laws, on top of everything else?

She just prayed that they wouldn't notice her somewhat grungy appearance, or were at least understanding of her predicament. She was fairly sure that she already had her share of bad first impressions.

Baron gave a rather stern look to a large oak door as he approached it, making it swing open soundlessly so that he could carry her through it and into a large flower garden, which was slowly being cast into shadows by the setting sun. "Sorry for taking so long," he apologized to the two felines waiting in a spacious white gazebo at the end of a neat little path set with polished grey stones. "I was meeting another friend of Haru's."

"That's all right, son," his mother crooned, now sporting a glossy coat of thick white fur, her longer head fur pulled back into an elegant bun that was similar to what she had worn as a human. Seated next to her was a feline woman that could have easily been her twin, except that she had a rusty shade of brown fur.

Baron carefully set her in one of the cushioned chairs surrounding a neat summer table, on which was placed a rather artistic array of cut fruit and delicate silver-trimmed bowls that were filled with salad and steaming pasta that smelled delicious, neatly framing a beautiful silver tea set, as well as a large pitcher filled with cool water, which seemed a little redundant when the human girl thought about it. As the darkness closed in, the pure white candles artfully placed over the table lit themselves to provide a good even light, accented by the yellow fireflies that danced over the flowers in an untold rhythm.

_This _was Baron's idea of a light supper?!

"Haru, you've already met Mother, but this is my Aunt Rebecca. My cousin is probably still inside, preparing more food," her feline husband politely introduced, making the slim human smile nervously and wave her hand a little in a polite greeting, her heart thumping wildly.

"So, you're Baron's new bride?" the darker feline asked while smiling a little slyly.

Haru blushed and looked down at her lap, all too aware of the fact that her husband was seating himself right next to her. "Yes, ma'am."

"There's no need to stand on formality, dear," Aunt Rebecca laughed good-naturedly. "After all, you're part of the family now."

"Sorry," Haru apologized, her nerves not allowing her to say anything more eloquent.

"How did your mother take the news?" Baron's mother asked, after a few minutes of awkward silence had passed.

"She wasn't home," Haru said with a sad smile. "She has a tendency to leave while I'm off at school for conventions and such, and just leaves explanations taped to the fridge when it happens. I tried calling her, but the line was busy."

"You mean she just leaves you alone without any prior warning?" Aunt Rebecca said, obviously shocked by the idea.

"Only for the past year or so," Haru said quickly, raising her hands in a defensive gesture for her mother's sake. "Before that, she would take me with her all the time, because I'm sort of her heir, but she wants me to focus on graduating from high school so that I won't fail and have to try again. She just doesn't want to get into a fight with me, and this is her way of avoiding it."

Like her mother thought that Haru would throw a big tantrum over being left behind. If anything, she was grateful for the breathing room, but she wasn't about to tell her mother that.

"What does your mother do, to need an heir?" Baron asked curiously.

"Well, she doesn't _need _me as an heir," Haru said while turning red again. "She just really wants me to follow in her footsteps as one of the top quilting idols in the business. She's had her heart set on it for years," she added gloomily.

"Is that what _you _want, dear?" Baron's mother asked, her shimmering blue orbs strangely intent.

"Well…" Haru said hesitantly. "Not really. I like quilting and everything, but…" She wasn't quite sure how to speak her heart's wish without giving unintended offense to her mother's profession.

"It's not what you want to do for the rest of your life?" her husband asked, correctly guessing her thoughts.

She nodded, looking down at her lap again. "I'll be honest. I'm a little more worried about telling her about _this _than a change of career. Telling her I want to be a doctor might break her heart, but telling her I accidentally eloped with a complete stranger might give her a heart attack."

Aunt Rebecca hummed a little, and gently pushed a plate of cut fruit closer to the young woman. "Eat something, dear. You're nothing but skin and bones."

"Rebecca," Baron's mother said in a sharp tone. "Now is not the time to scold her. This is a serious problem."

"Perhaps not, Louise," Rebecca disagreed, helping herself to a strawberry. "Remember how _we _integrated ourselves with our husbands' families?"

"That's a little backward at this point. They're already married," Baron's mother tried to say, but Baron stopped her with one raised hand.

"Perhaps it's the best thing to do under the circumstances, Mother. Haru, what if we were to pretend that I was merely courting you while your mother was getting to know me? We can work our way up to the marriage later."

The slim brunette thought about it. "If nothing else, it would probably soften the blow-"

She was interrupted by a loud banging. The four looked over to the house, where a huge cream-colored feline was walking through a brutally opened door, a large plate in each of his paw-like hands. The only bit of color on him was the brown spot of fur over his left ear. He was dressed less formally than Baron, with a simple white tunic and loose pants that reminded her of a kimono. If he were a human, Haru was certain that he would resemble a sumo wrestler.

"Sorry for being late," the large cat grunted as he moved with huge strides to the gazebo, making Haru unconsciously flinch again, her heart beating fast with fear.

"The garlic didn't want to be cut," he explained as he set the huge plates of freshly cut garlic bread on the table. "They kept sliding around inside their skins, and the bread was a little too hot."

"That's all right, son," his mother crooned as the huge feline sat down in the last chair, and looked at the human girl that was stiffly staring back at him.

He grunted. "So, you're Haru?"

Not trusting herself to say anything, she nodded.

He wrinkled his nose slightly, and pushed one of the loaded plates he had just brought out closer to her. "Eat something. You're just skin and bones."

"That's already been said," Baron said with a trace of irritation, waving one hand at his large kinsman. "Haru, this is my cousin Renaldo Moon, or Muta, as he prefers to be called."

"I've never been much of a 'Renaldo'," he said sourly, glaring at his mother, who innocently sipped her tea.

"_I _think it suits you perfectly, son," she said sweetly, making him growl again in irritation.

Despite herself, Haru started giggling, making Muta glower at her.

"Something funny, Chicky?" he demanded.

"Yes," the slim brunette laughed before she remembered her fear. "I think either name would work for you. Why make such a fuss?"

The huge cat stared at her, and looked down at his plate as Louise began dishing out the pasta, now that her corpulent nephew had joined the table.

"I just like Muta, that's all," he mumbled.

Haru tilted her head at him. "Then stick with it," she suggested. "Your mother's going to call you whatever she wants, no matter what you say, but if you're just out in the world, go ahead and use Muta, if that's what you want people to call you. A name doesn't really change who you are, unless you let it."

He blinked twice at her, and then grinned at Baron. "You're rubbing off on her already."

Haru looked at her feline husband with surprise, even as he stared almost disbelievingly at her. "You talk like that too?" she asked him in amazement, but he remained in a stunned silence.

Louise smiled warmly, and spooned a generous amount of pasta onto her daughter-in-law's plate, answering for him. "All the time, dear."

ooOoo

Later that night, Haru was back in her mother's home, showered, and tucked safely into her little bed.

But she was not alone.

After she had fallen into a deep slumber, a shadow appeared next to her on the bed, on its side to mimic the pale girl's position, since there wasn't very much room for both of them.

After Baron's shadow solidified into a physical shape, now in comfortable dark blue pajamas that nearly mirrored her plaid flannel ones, he silently studied his young bride, peacefully oblivious to his presence.

Although he hardly knew her, his heart strings played like a harp as he looked at her sweet defenseless expression, slowly breathing in and out as her cheek rubbed gently against the pillow they were sharing.

The tawny feline propped his head up, contemplating the young woman sleeping at his side. He was aware that he had a lot to be grateful for. The seventy-five years he had spent below the earth were alternately spent thinking up new things to call Ryuichi, and praying that his eventual bride would be someone he could get along with. Someone that could forgive that terrible and unavoidable first impression he knew he would one day give. Just the fact that she was willing to give him a chance was enough to give him hope that the timid friendship would be able to grow into something better.

He sighed as the slim brunette did the same in her sleep, and gathered her into his arms, the eye-catching quilt large enough to cover both of them comfortably. He kissed her brow gently, and waited for sleep to come.

Although he hardly knew her, he had a good feeling about being this pale girl's husband.

Maybe… just maybe… she needed him just as much as he needed her.


	9. Surprise

**Chapter Nine: Surprise**

Haru was incredibly warm and comfy when her alarm clock started beeping its shrill command for her to awaken.

Groaning a little, she reached over and patted the cow-shaped tormentor to silence it, gave another sigh, and rolled over while pulling the quilt nearly over her head, not wishing to leave this comfortable position any time soon.

"If you ignore the alarm, why do you have it?" a familiar voice asked around a yawn.

It took a second for her sleepy mind to comprehend the implications of that voice, making her eyes suddenly snap open with shock when she finally figured out who was there.

She yelped with surprise, hopping off the bed to carry the quilt with her as half of her body fell to the floor, tearing herself out of her husband's arms as she did so.

Baron looked over the edge of the bed curiously, and sighed tiredly, his well-shaped cat ears hanging a little low. "I hope you won't always react like that when I make my presence known, Haru."

"What… were you doing?" she gasped, her face turning red from embarrassment. Again.

He cocked his head at her, and smiled a little as he sat up, reaching down to help her. "Well, I _was _sleeping until your clock went off. Do you usually ignore it?"

"You're dodging the question," she retorted while still blushing violently. "Why are you in my bed?"

"I'm your husband," he said, like that explained everything, a small smile still on his lips as he set her gently on the edge of the bed by her slim waist. "One of the terms of the marriage spell was that we would spend every night in the same bed. I didn't sleep the night we met, so I could leave you time to adjust. I kept my promise, if that was what you were wondering."

She blushed a little harder.

"You look very peaceful when you're asleep," he added, crossing his legs neatly across the bed so he could place one elbow on a leg and balance a fist on his chin. He was still smiling that gentle smile, looking at her tenderly. "I rather enjoy seeing you when you're not constantly on your guard."

Her blush deepened as she maneuvered herself to the head of the bed, and opened up a drawer of her desk so that she could start rummaging around in it. "All right, I'll let this go, but if you ever try to sneak into the shower with me, I'll force-feed you chocolate."

"I wouldn't do _that_," he objected as heat rose from his face again, even as he shuddered from the idea of chocolate. He had a deadly allergy to the stuff, thanks to his feline genes, whether or not he resembled a human.

Did Haru have a cat, to know he couldn't handle what was usually considered a delightful treat for humans?

But he became distracted from the unspoken question, watching her curiously as she carefully uncapped a small glass bottle, and inserted a dropper into it to obtain some of the clear liquid inside. "What's that?" he asked as she leaned her head back, and dripped precisely three drops of the substance into her delicate mouth.

Haru pulled a foul face from the taste as she capped the small vial, and set it with the dripper back into the drawer before closing it. "Medicine. I have to take it every morning."

"Why?" he asked as she slipped off the bed smoothly, and started hunting for her school clothes on her hands and knees to spare her twisted ankle.

"I got really sick back when I was a kid, and the medicine keeps me from getting that sick again," she explained, folding a simple blue skirt over one arm. "Toto has an unhealthy fascination with flying off with the glass vials, so I have to keep them hidden so that I can keep taking it. Um… Baron?"

"Yes, dear?" he asked, his attention still fixed on the drawer that the medicine was in.

"I… um, we may be married and everything," she stammered while blushing heavily, still kneeling on the carpet. "But I'd really like to get dressed without an audience, if you don't mind."

His eyes widened, and he gulped nervously. "My apologies," he said quickly while disappearing into thin air.

Haru leaned over the bed, and patted down every inch of it, just to be on the safe side before dressing herself in the familiar school uniform.

It was a knee-length navy skirt that matched her vest, which was thrown over a short-sleeve button up white shirt that had a red ribbon secured underneath the collar in a simple bow at the base of her throat.

'_On the bright side, Baron ensured that I'm going to be on time for once. Sensei will probably die of shock.'_ She giggled from the thought as she slipped a long white sock over her left leg, leaving the other one bare thanks to the bandages on her ankle. For a finishing touch, she tied her hair back into a high ponytail, and retrieved the crutch from next to the mirror behind her door, prepared to tackle the stairs at a safe pace.

With her school bag in one hand, and her crutch in the other, she carefully descended the stairs, stopped halfway as she remembered the ring on her hand. Sighing, the slim brunette left the bag near the base of the stairs so that she could go back up to her room to retrieve the long white gloves Baron had given her the day before.

If she had forgotten _those_, the school would surely turn to anarchy before lunch. After all… plain, sensible Yoshioka Haru, married before graduation to a guy she just met? She shuddered from the idea of having to explain just what had led up to her sudden marriage to the entire school, right up to the principal that would undoubtedly call her mother and-

Oh shoot! She had forgotten to try calling her mother again! What if her mother had tried calling back, but she didn't answer because she was with Baron's family?

Haru quickly pulled the long gloves over her arms, and reached for the phone before remembering that the number was still downstairs. She sighed tiredly, tucked her crutch under her armpit, and descended the stairs again, skillfully maneuvering her way around her mother's quilting supplies to reach the phone… which had messages on it.

The pale brunette gulped nervously, and pressed the button to hear them.

"First unheard message: 'Haru, honey? Why aren't you answering the phone? Listen, young lady, I want you to call me back pronto. What do you mean, there's a lot more you want to tell me? What else happened?! Where are you-'

Haru winced as the machine cut off her mother's message.

"Second message: 'Haru, its Hiromi. I wanted to know if you could come over and help me out with cramming for final exams? I know we wait until Fridays to study with Tsuge, but I'm lost without you! Speaking of which, how come you're not answering the-'

The machine cut her off as well.

The slim brunette groaned, guessing who the final message was from. Just in case, she held the phone as far away from her ear as possible.

"Third message: 'WHY AREN'T YOU ANSWERING THE PHONE, YOUNG LADY?!' Tsuge's mother roared into the room. 'YOUR POOR MOTHER IS WORRIED SICK, AND TSUGE ISN'T DOING ANY BETTER! YOU ANSWER THE PHONE RIGHT NOW, OR I'M COMING- AHA! I SEE YOU TURNING YOUR LIGHT ON! WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A TALK ABOUT THIS, YOUNG-'

"People leave too long messages," she grumbled, sliding pieces of bread into the toaster before dialing her mother's number, still taped to the fridge. "Either that, or our phone's too old to take much abuse."

The phone gave a single ring before her mother answered. "What took you so long, young lady?!" she demanded, her voice cracking with worry.

"I'm sorry, Mom," she apologized as she opened a window so Toto could fly in, brushing his wings feathers against her face in a morning greeting. "I got invited to come to a family dinner at the last second, and I didn't get home until around eight, then I was in the shower. I didn't think to call you back until just now."

"Oh, really?" her mother asked, sounding coldly skeptical. "I spoke to both Hiromi and Tsuge' parents and they didn't know where you were."

"That's because I wasn't with them," Haru said patiently, making an easy bento box for lunch. "I was with my new boyfriend's family. Their pasta was so good, they let me take the recipe home. The garlic bread wasn't half-bad, either."

A shocked silence was all that met her words, but a glance at Toto showed that the crow was nodding his head encouragingly, silently applauding her with his wings. She smiled warmly, knowing that he understood her plan without a single word.

He was perhaps the one person that _could _understand her without having to explain.

"What… did you… say?" her mother asked in a low hushed voice, like Haru had really told her that she had been diagnosed with cancer.

"I did something a little foolish at the retreat," the slim brunette said sheepishly before telling her mother a much-edited version of what had happened between then and last night, pausing now and then to eat her meager breakfast and to give Toto his beloved mulberry-jam smothered piece of toast. Every time she forced herself to gloss over the truth for the sake of her mother's sanity, her stomach felt like it was tying itself into a complicated knot.

"So now I'm over Machida, I'm seeing Baron, and… well, that's pretty much it," she concluded, taking a big drink of water as her mother stayed silent.

"Haru..." her mother said quietly. "I don't think you've thought your way through this."

"Sure I did," she defended herself as she dumped the raccoon-shaped cookie jar over the table to put part of the hidden money into her school bag, and artfully place a number of cookies over the currency she put back into the jar, since she wouldn't be able to carry very many groceries with her bad ankle. "Baron's a sweet gentleman that likes me, and Machida's a rat that delights in making me miserable. It's not much of a comparison, Mom."

"There are other boys," her mother frantically interjected.

"Sure there are, but Baron's the one that's actually interested. I've got to go, or I'll be late for school."

"But honey… wait, since when do you actually get up when the alarm goes off?" her mother asked in shock.

"Since today," Haru said stiffly, her cheeks burning again. "I'm trying to turn over a new leaf. I really have to go, Mom. I love you!"

"Love you, too," her mother said in stunned shock as Haru shut off the phone, breathing heavily like she had just run a marathon.

"Phase one's complete," she giggled to Toto, who was cackling in approval. "We won't be able to commence phase two until she comes home and meets Baron, though. I'll probably be late coming home, because I've got detention and shopping to take care of," she informed her feathered friend as he flew once around the room, brushed her face with his wings again, and cawed encouragingly before flying out the window.

She latched it shut, and checked her bag to make sure she had everything she needed for the day.

The doorbell rang, much to her surprise, since hardly anyone ever dropped by, let alone this early.

Feeling a little anxious that it was Tsuge's bad-tempered mother, Haru reluctantly made her way close to the door with the crutch, her school bag in one hand in case she needed to make a run for it, and peered through the small peep-hole embedded in the wood.

It was Baron, now in human form.

She laughed lightly while slipping one of her shoes on and opening the door. "All right, mister, what are you up to now?"

"Up to?" he asked in mock-innocence, throwing a hand to his heart, like she had mortally wounded him. "What on earth gives you the idea that I'm up to something, love?"

She looked at him up and down, noticing that he was wearing blue pants and a white button-up shirt with long sleeves, which nearly matched her school's uniform for the boys. She guessed that he had long sleeves to help keep attention from his own gloves. "Your clothes, for one thing," she said flatly, inching her way outside her home so that she could lock the door behind herself. "Come on, you wouldn't dress like that unless you had a reason."

"This uniform isn't so bad," he objected, sweeping her off her feet again so that he could carry her to the silver car he had used up in the mountains. "It's more comfortable than the one _I _wore in high school. Being forced to wear a dark bulky suit during hot weather was absolutely ghastly. It was useful in winter, though," he admitted reluctantly, neatly setting her in the passenger seat before walking around the car.

Having a feeling that he would insist on driving her to school, Haru placed her crutch and schoolbag in the back seat, and strapped on her safety belt as he did the same. "Let me guess, it was a boarding school for boys only, your teachers were priests, and the long list of rules were strictly enforced?"

"Did I already tell you about it?" he asked in surprise as he eased the car away from the sidewalk, and down the road.

"No, that was a guess," she giggled, but then sighed. "I just got off the phone with Mom."

He sharply stole a glance at her before turning his green eyes back to the road. "Did you tell her?"

"She thinks you're my boyfriend, but she didn't seem very thrilled about it," she confessed, looking down at her lap. "I guess she wanted my first relationship to be with a guy she knows."

"I'll take care of that when she returns," he promised her with a gentle smile, reaching over with one hand to pat hers encouragingly. "And until then, I'll have the pleasure of escorting you around school."

'_Escort… around?' _"Baron," Haru said slowly. "Did you just say that you're coming inside the school with me? And staying the whole day?"

"Naturally," he said, grinning again. "What smitten young man _wouldn't_ endure a few extra classes to be near a fetching young lady like yourself?"

Haru's heart started pounding, color once again flowing to her cheeks. _'Fetching? But Machida said- ah, who cares what that scumbag thinks?! Baron's opinion is way more important. __**He's **__my husband, after all. He thinks I'm fetching?'_

Her husband stole another glance at her, and laughed warmly. "Don't worry, dear. I have the situation firmly under control."

"I'll have to stay behind for detention," she reminded him, trying to force herself to calm down.

"Then I will stay as well," he answered calmly.

"I was also hoping to go grocery shopping afterwards."

"Then I will assist you." He laughed softly. "If we are even to be friends, we'll need to spend _some _time together, won't we?"

The slim school girl sighed in defeat, and reached over to squeeze his shoulder once. "You lead a very convincing argument," she informed him, deciding that an argument would be futile.

"Thank you, dear," he said cheerfully.

"But I hope you know you're going to get mobbed," she warned him.

"Why do you say that?" he asked curiously.

"Because taken or not, I can think of quite a few girls that _will_ throw themselves at your feet at first sight. You're very handsome," she added before she could stop herself, her cheeks turning hot once more from her boldness.

"Then I will be sure to step over them," he answered in a slightly ominous manner, even as a blush crossed his own cheeks from her compliment.


	10. Redundancy

A/N: Yoru-101, I'd love to respond to your PM, but I can't. Were you aware that you have your PM option disabled?

**Chapter Ten: Redundancy**

Haru's heart pounded like a drum in her ears, warning her that this was a bad idea. She _hated _being stared at with a passion, but it appeared that the one thing that would absolutely guarantee that everyone's attention was centered on her was to show up for school, on time, and with a handsome man carrying her school bag, since she had insisted that he could not carry her around school grounds.

Baron's laminated visitor pass, which was clipped to the breast pocket of his shirt, would occasionally catch the sun's rays as they passed silently down the middle of the hallway. Students stepped aside for them, their eyes wide with shock as others broke off conversations in mid-sentence, staring at Haru's companion like he was an angel descending from the heavens.

"I had no idea you commanded such respect in your school, dear," Baron said cheerfully as he occasionally nodded at the students that stepped aside for him and his 'girlfriend'.

"I don't. They usually don't notice that I exist until I try sneaking late into homeroom. They're acting this way because of _you_," she added with an embarrassed smile.

"At least I haven't gotten mobbed, as you predicted."

"Yet," she added, reaching out to slide a wooden door to the side. But her husband touched the door first, and slid it out of her way.

"My lady," he said with a fluid bow and a teasing grin.

"Kind sir," she retorted, unable to keep a smile from her face as she stepped into the room.

Hiromi looked up from her desk in shock. "_Haru_? Why- I mean- where were you last night?" she asked, obviously changing questions in mid-thought.

"Eating with Baron's family," the darker brunette said in a half-apologetic manner as the tall man in question helped her into her seat by one of the windows on the far side from the door. "Mom knows."

The homeroom teacher glanced behind him once as he wrote the day's agenda on the chalkboard, but then made the chalk screech as he wheeled around again, his eyes wide with shock. He blinked once, then twice before rubbing his eyes in disbelief. "Yoshioka-san, what is the meaning of this?" he asked curiously while walking up to her desk.

Baron bristled protectively, but the slim girl at his side gripped his hand to keep him from doing something rash.

"This is my boyfriend, Baron Gikkingen. He wanted to come to school with me, and he has a pass," Haru explained, getting the feeling that she would be repeating that for the rest of the day.

"What?" the teacher asked in confusion, suddenly noticing the tawny man hovering over his petite pupil. "Oh… I was asking why you were on time for once."

"She's turning over a new leaf," Baron said in a slightly miffed voice, his eyes glowing with green fire. "I should think you would be grateful for the fact, instead of patronizing her."

The teacher took a good look at the tall young man, and swallowed hard. "Please take a seat in the back of the class, Mr. Gikkingen," he finally said in a formal tone, only a slight tremor in his voice to say that he was a little frightened.

Baron nodded, and kissed Haru's cheek gently before moving to the back of the class, and pulling out a spare chair as the teacher returned to his board, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Oh, Haru," Hiromi giggled into her best friend's ear. "It must be serious, if he followed you to school _willingly_."

"He didn't want me to try keeping to my usual schedule with this ankle," the darker brunette said while blushing and setting her crutch against the wall. She sifted through her school bag for the text book and notes she needed. "He's very concerned about me."

"Obviously," Hiromi giggled again, watching from the corner of her eye as two other girls tried to engage Baron in small talk, batting their eyes flirtatiously at him.

He responded politely, his eyes never straying from the pale brunette halfway across the room. The girls flocking to him pouted, and kept vying for his attention until the teacher sharply ordered them to their seats.

Tsuge came in at the last second, breathless and panting from exertion, not even noticing the golden-haired man that commanded the attention of the rest of the class. He looked at the dark-haired brunette a little angrily, but couldn't scold her right now for the way she had disappeared the night before.

Haru stared ahead, forcing herself to ignore the jealous glares as she wrote down the needed notes, putting them away for the pop quiz that the teacher sprung to prepare them for finals after the lecture. _'This is going to be the longest two weeks of my life.'_

ooOoo

Almost before the teacher gave them leave to have lunch, Tsuge pounced close to Haru, slamming his hands on her desk. "Where were you last night?" he hissed, low and dangerous.

"I was having dinner with Baron's family," she said with irritation, getting a little sick of repeating herself.

"Why didn't you say so earlier?" he demanded, even as the tawny man politely beat away the girls that were attacking him with open lunch boxes, begging him to take just a bite of their cooking. "I stopped by your house this morning, and everything was still locked tight!"

"I woke up early, but only had enough time to call Mom," Haru answered impatiently, gesturing with one hand for him to step aside. "Do you mind, Tsuge? You're standing in Baron's way."

The bulky youth turned around, obviously shocked to see the tawny man standing there. "What are _you _doing here?" he gasped, but the action seemed forced, like he wished to express something a little harsher.

"Accompanying Miss Haru," the taller man said easily, although one could tell that he was also tiring fast from the constant questions. While the school boy was still shocked, Baron slipped into the abandoned chair behind the brunette that had become the center of his life. "I hope you don't mind, dear, but I added a bit more to your bento box when you weren't looking."

"When?" she asked in surprise, searching in her bag for the handkerchief-bound item. Now that her hands touched it, she could immediately tell that it was bigger than the one she had placed in her bag earlier, and there was also a large thermos that was warm to the touch.

"While we were in the car," he lied easily as she pulled his magically-enhanced lunch out of the bag and began untying the handkerchief.

Haru let it pass, since now was not the time to bring up his 'special' abilities.

"You were in his car?" Tsuge choked, falling into the seat across from the nodding brunette, Hiromi still seated in front of her.

'_I'm surrounded,' _she thought with a giggle, opening her improved bento box. She had placed a few meager sandwiches into it, as well as a handful of baby carrots. But what was in it now could only be called a work of culinary art. The meager sandwiches had been replaced by two large tacos, stuffed with all of her favorite vegetarian trimmings. The carrots were still there, but they were nearly lost between cherry tomatoes, small stalks of celery, and olives.

"I added my personal blend of tea as well," he reminded her with a gentle, caressing smile.

"I _do _like your tea," Haru said in stunned shock, passing him one of the tacos before fishing the thermos out of her bag.

"Dang, Baron," Hiromi commented as she began eating her curry. "You cook, too?"

"Of course," the golden man said easily, watching Haru pour him a measure of tea before eating the other taco. "I can't hold a candle to my cousin in that regard, though. He's very passionate about how food is prepared."

"That's one way to put it," Haru giggled, sipping the tea from the spare cup Baron had slipped into her bag as he sipped from the mug's lid.

"Is he anything like you?" a random girl asked over the tawny man's shoulder, giggling empty-headedly.

Haru and Baron shared a single look before bursting into laughter.

"Not… exactly," the slim brunette gasped. "Muta's at least twice as big as Baron, and is a little short-tempered. He's a softie underneath, but he tries to hide it."

"What's his specialty?" Hiromi asked curiously, since she had hopes of becoming a chef herself.

"He can cook any dish short of ones that require organs or insects, but he has a special talent for preparing fish. He was absolutely devastated to learn that Haru was a vegetarian," the tawny man chuckled.

Hiromi gave an affectionate glare to the brunette sitting in front of her. "That _can _be a little irritating. I blame Toto for her turning green."

Tsuge snarled under his breath as he ate an egg roll from his own bento box, his expression stormy.

Baron looked at the foul-tempered teenager, and gave Haru a questioning look.

"He and Toto have hated each other since they met," she explained, handing him a small tomato while personally biting into a carrot. "I had to _order_ them to stop trying to kill each other years ago." She gave a rather firm look to the bulky lad, who suddenly froze in his chair. "Didn't I, Tsuge?"

He nodded, swallowing his bite with difficulty. "Yes, ma'am," he said in a sullen tone, like she was his mother.

"And if I have to, I'll order you to keep away from Baron, or I'll just stay away from you myself," she told him in that same firm tone. "He's going to be around for a while, and I'd rather not have to babysit you into remembering your manners around him. Am I understood?"

"Yes, ma'am," he said in that same sullen tone, although he didn't look very happy about the options she presented.

Haru smiled in satisfaction, and split the remaining vegetables and tea with her boyfriend, who was still looking at her in confusion. But she offered no more explanations, and everyone else was too used to the friendship between herself and Tsuge to question her authority to order him around, even if she rarely asserted herself in that regard.

ooOoo

The rest of the day passed much the way Haru expected it too. Students stared at her and Baron as they walked down the hallways together, whispering things that she didn't wish to know about even as girls continued to throw themselves at her tawny husband, who did indeed step politely over the more aggressive ones.

Detention was slightly more interesting than she expected, though. Machida, who had gone unnoticed by everyone the whole day, had also been sentenced to a week's worth of detention, which for the black-haired youth would mean three days of detention with Baron looking coldly at him as he sat beside the slim brunette, who used the time to study for the finals.

Such a thing sounds trivial, even juvenile, unless one could personally see how cold Baron's gaze can be, when he's staring at someone who would behave as callously as Machida had done on the mountain.

Needless to say, the terrified teenager would have gladly preferred Haru's wounds, and more, to enduring Baron's blood-chillingly silent gaze.

The slim brunette looked up from her textbook to see what her husband was doing, and smiled a little while touching his gloved hand with her own. "You don't have to do that, Baron. He's not worth that much attention, and he's been punished enough."

He glanced at her curiously. "Do you still have feelings for him?" he asked softly, so they wouldn't disturb the teacher sleeping at his desk, or the small handful of students that were also in detention.

"Not a chance," she assured him with a gentle smile. "I just know where to draw the line. I've forgotten about him, and I'd like you to do the same. Please?"

The cold look in his eyes warmed, and he sighed, squeezing her hand gently. "Yes, dear."

She smiled gratefully, and turned back to her text books.

"Haru?" he suddenly asked. "What was that business earlier? About you ordering Tsuge?"

"He doesn't like other men being around me," she answered softly, turning a page. "I think a major reason he hates Toto is because he's male. I knew he'd cause us an unholy amount of trouble if I didn't do something to bring him up short, and a threat to order him is usually enough to make him mind his manners."

"Why would he fear your orders?" he asked intently, making the girl shrug, even as her heart began to freeze into a lump of ice.

"I rarely order people around, Baron," she said in a soft voice that he could barely hear, despite his feline abilities. "But when I do, I'm very convincing, and a little overenthusiastic. I ordered Tsuge and Toto to behave about twelve years ago, and they _still _don't need a second order to remind them." Haru laughed very softly. "Hiromi just thinks that I threatened to beat him to a pulp. She's never heard me give an order."

"Neither have I," he said softly, to keep the conversation between her and himself, his eyes still burning with curiosity.

"I hope you never will," she said, staring intently at the textbook and praying that he would drop the subject.

He could feel her unspoken prayer, and did not pursue the matter. In fact, he made an effort to help her forget the conversation as they eventually left the school grounds, and he escorted her around one of her favorite grocery stores. He kept her laughing with subtle jokes, and helped her put away the groceries before obviously driving away with her in the car for another family dinner, now that she had warned him that Tsuge's mother was probably keeping a constant watch over her house.

It was late, when Baron drove her back to her place, waiting to ensure that she was safely inside her home before driving away.

But Baron did something he hadn't done the night before.

Once he was certain that Haru was safely distracted in the shower, he appeared in her room, and sifted through the drawer where she kept her medicine, unable to keep his curiosity and concern for his wife's precarious health at bay any longer.

But strangely, his padded hand found a photograph before it touched the glass vial. Puzzled, he took the photo out of the desk in order to look at it.

A beautiful little girl with dark brown hair grinned at him from the picture, one arm around a lovely white cat on her lap and one hand petting the young crow at her side, who was snuggling against her happily. The white cat was wearing a pink ribbon around her neck, and the girl was in a light green dress, with a matching ribbon in her hair. An older woman, also dressed nicely in dark blue for the picture, had one arm around the girl, cradling her close. The woman was a red-headed version of how Haru looked now, except with shorter hair and small glasses. She was smiling, but almost seemed to be shaking her head good-naturedly at her little Haru.

The picture was obviously several years old.

Baron's eyes narrowed in confusion as he took a closer look at young Haru's face. "She had golden eyes as a child?" he whispered softly to himself.


	11. Assumptions

**Chapter Eleven: Assumptions**

Haru sighed happily as she limped into her bedroom with her crutch tucked under one arm as usual. A moist towel was still around her shoulders from drying her dark brown hair, and she was already dressed in her flannel pajamas.

She sat down on the bed, yawning as she reached for the small white phone on her desk.

There was only one message this time. From her mother.

Praying that her mother's heart had softened, the slim brunette pressed the button.

"First message: 'Oh, you have got to be kidding. Haru, as soon as you get home, I want you to call me. It's important. Don't wait until morning.' End of message."

Haru sighed, and punched in the number, remembering it from before school as she threw the towel off her neck to dry out on the back of her desk chair.

The phone rang once, and then picked up. "What took you so long?" her mother said waspishly. "I've been waiting all night!"

"Sorry, Mom. I just checked the messages." Haru then gave her a summary of the day's events to placate her.

"You spent the whole day with Baron?" her mother asked in a disbelieving tone.

"Yep," the young school girl said cheerfully, easing herself underneath her blankets while keeping the phone to her ear. "Even with detention, it was a pretty good day."

"Honey…" her mother struggled to say, and then sighed. "I suppose that this day would have happened, sooner or later."

"Absolutely," Haru said in surprise, since she thought her mother had already prepared herself for it.

"Now, sweetheart," her mother said in a soothing tone. "I know it's only natural for teenagers to rebel, and so far I've been getting off pretty good with you-"

"Rebel?!" Haru asked, immediately rising to a sitting position in disbelief. "Since when is seeing a sweet guy rebelling?"

"I… just don't think he's the right one for you, Haru. After all, you've only known him for a few days; you have no idea what kind of family he's from or what he does for a living-"

"Have you not been paying attention?" the slim girl demanded. "I've met his family repeatedly, and they're sweethearts! Baron manages the finances with the entire family! His cousin's a chef, his aunt's a gardener, his mother's a-"

"Don't you take that tone with me, young lady!" her mother said sharply. "I want you to stop seeing that boy immediately."

"No." Haru's voice became flat, almost cold, even as her timid side cried out in shock. She had never disobeyed her mother before in her life.

Well, except once. But she never thought about that time if she could help it.

"What did you say?" her mother demanded in a stunned voice.

"I said no. You have never met Baron, and you dare to condemn him, just from what you've probably been hearing from Tsuge's mother, who's never met him, either? That's _gossip_, Mom! If you're going to try to throw a guy out of my life, you should at least meet him first! He has never done anything to offend me, much less you! Give him a chance!" Haru said in as firm a tone as she could manage, since she wasn't mad enough to say it more forcefully. It wasn't as commanding a tone as she could have used, but it was powerful enough to make her point.

Her mother was silent for a full minute, only her harsh breathing into the phone telling of her inner conflict.

"… fine. One meeting, am I understood?"

"I'll invite him over for dinner when you come back on Monday," she said cheerfully, now that she had won the fight. "I promise you'll love him!"

"We'll see," her mother said ominously before hanging up.

Haru stared at her phone, a little surprised that her mother hadn't so much as said goodbye. Sighing, she set the phone back in its cradle, and slid underneath the blankets again. With one finger, she absently rubbed the diamond lily's petals, thinking about how she had woken up that morning. Knowing that there was nothing she could do to prevent her husband's eventual entry, she decided to give in gracefully. "I don't know if you can hear me or not, Baron," she informed the ceiling, not sure where to direct her gaze. "But if you're planning on sneaking into my bed again, can you at least do it while I'm still awake? I don't want another surprise like this morning."

A few seconds passed.

"As you wish, dear," Baron said as his shadow appeared underneath the blankets, making them rise from the bed as his form took his feline physical shape, again in the dark blue pajamas. Smiling a little, he wrapped his arms around her and drew her close so that there would be room for both of them to lie on their sides on the small bed, facing each other.

"Were you eavesdropping on me?" she asked suspiciously, cuddling into his warm embrace despite her reservations.

"No, but I can hear you when you talk to me, especially when you're rubbing the ring with one finger." He touched his golden mark on her, smiling softly. "And I can speak to you in the same fashion. Easier than a cell phone, wouldn't you say?"

"Except people _will _talk if we try to contact each other in public like that," she giggled before a sad sigh mistakenly escaped her throat.

"What's wrong, love?" he asked worriedly, locking eyes with her.

Haru sighed again. "Mom tried to order me to stop seeing you."

His eyes narrowed. "May I inquire why?" he asked in an almost dangerous tone.

"You can, but I don't know the answer, either," she said helplessly, rubbing her forehead against his chest. "I talked her into meeting you before passing judgment, but she seems bent on forbidding you from my life. I think Tsuge's mother is behind it," she added fiercely.

"Why would Tsuge's mother have anything to do with this?" Baron asked slowly.

"She's a control freak. Nothing makes her happier than organizing other peoples' lives, especially mine. She's the one that suggested to Mom that I should follow in her footsteps. You're an unknown element to her, something she can't control. That's probably why she wants you gone."

Baron's arms tightened around her tiny body. "Why does your mother allow her to act in such a manner?"

"She's the one that makes my medicine," Haru explained, pulling a nasty face. "That stuff's _nearly _as bitter as she is. One of her favorite threats is to stop making it, and let me get sick again. I nearly died last time I got sick like that, so Mom falls for it every time. Baron," she said very seriously. "If she refuses to make any more after I run out-"

Her husband silenced her with a kiss to the brow. "I can take over making it, love. You're worth it."

"Won't you need the recipe?" she asked him worriedly, but he shook his head comfortingly.

"I have a special process that can tell me exactly how to duplicate medicines and potions. All I would really need is a vial of the stuff for about a day's worth of time to figure it off."

"How about on Saturday?" Haru asked hopefully. "I only have enough to last until next Wednesday."

"It's a date," he promised with a wide smile, kissing her cheek before settling his head on the pillow.

Feeling better, Haru snuggled into his arms, blushing at her boldness. But Baron didn't seem to mind.

"Darling?" he asked just before her mind drifted to sleep. "If your mother _still _orders for you to stop seeing me after we meet, what will you do?"

"Tell her the whole truth," Haru yawned. "I'm eighteen; she can't order me to leave my own husband. If she insists, I'll probably have to run away with you. I love her dearly," she quickly added as he held her tighter. "But… what's done is done. My future is with you, whether or not Mom decides to accept us, and I hope she does," she whispered reverently, much like a prayer. "I don't want to have to say goodbye because she's being a puppet instead of a mother."

Her husband crooned softly, holding her head to his chest, and softly stroking her hair with his bare fingers until she fell asleep, clinging to the front of his shirt like it was the last solid thing she could hold onto.

ooOoo

"What do you think you're doing?!" a silver-streaked brunette demanded angrily as she strode across the street, to where Baron was assisting Haru into his car again the next morning.

"My boyfriend's taking me to school, Mrs. Nashito," the slimmer brunette replied almost stiffly as Baron briskly walked around the car, and made to open his door.

The middle-aged woman moved in front of his door to deny him entrance, glaring at the tawny man that towered over her. "That won't be necessary, _sir_," she said with a disdainful sniff. "My son will be over in just a minute to walk her to school, just like he always does when she's injured herself."

"I want to go with Baron," Haru said defiantly, clenching her fists angrily.

"Hush, child! You don't know what you want!" the older woman snapped angrily. "Now get out of his car before I get _really _angry!"

Baron glared at the woman coldly, and merely hopped into the car, since the top was still down, and slid into the driver's seat with ease. "With all due respect, Madam, _you _are not Haru's mother, and you have no right to order either of us to do anything. Have a pleasant day." With that, he turned the car on.

Tsuge's mother stepped in front of the vehicle with her arms outstretched, still screaming for Haru to get out of Baron's car.

The tawny man simply drove his car in reverse, and took a slightly longer route to avoid the woman, who tried to run after them, but soon fell behind. "How long have you known that woman, Haru?" he asked tiredly, long after her shrieks had faded behind the usual traffic noise.

"Since the first day of kindergarten," Haru said miserably.

"And she's been acting like that ever since?"

"She's sometimes in a slightly better mood, but… you get the idea."

Baron shook his head angrily, his eyes flashing with green fire. "I never thought I would feel such pity for Tsuge."

Haru sighed while squeezing one of his shoulders. "Would you believe she's the reason I befriended him? He looked so beaten and lonely that day, I couldn't help but reach out to him."

Baron stole a glance at her, and smiled warmly. "Actually, I _can _believe it. Would you mind if we headed straight to my place after school? I really don't fancy the idea of dealing with that woman more than I have to."

"Not in the least," Haru said hastily, smiling warmly at him. _'It's so nice, having someone stick up for __**my **__opinions for once.'_

ooOoo

When Tsuge arrived in the classroom, he headed straight for Haru, who was talking comfortably with Baron, his dark eyes flashing angrily. He sank into the chair next to her, waving away protests from the student it belonged to. "Why did you insult my mother, Haru?!" he demanded.

"I didn't," she answered a little coldly, holding hands with the tawny man seated behind her. "I can spend time with my boyfriend without her approval. She's _your _mother, not mine, remember?"

"That is no excuse," Tsuge retorted hotly, but then the tall tawny man captured his attention with fire-tinged eyes.

Baron gave him the same threatening, cold look he had given Machida the day before. "This may surprise you, Tsuge," he said slowly, to ensure that the school boy would understand every syllable. "But Haru is perfectly capable of organizing her own life without the interference of anyone. Kindly leave her be."

Tsuge glared at him angrily. "Just who do you think you are?!" he demanded, grabbing Haru's other wrist. "She's been _my _buddy since kindergarten, and I'm not going to let anyone take her away from me!"

"Stop it, Tsuge, you're embarrassing me!" Haru hissed, pinching his wrist sharply to force him to let go of her. Baron slowly stood up, his eyes glowing more horrifically than ever before.

"I believe a challenge would be in order," he said in a dead calm voice, although his true feelings were betrayed by his expression.

Tsuge scoffed. "A challenge? What language are _you_ using?"

"Baron," Haru said worriedly, since she had a pretty good idea of what her husband meant, but he patted her shoulder comfortingly.

"It's very simple," the tawny man said with a grim smile. "You and I are going to have a little match, and whoever loses must leave Haru alone for the rest of the school year."

Tsuge stared at him. "What kind of match?" he asked suspiciously.

"I'll let you decide. Swords, chess, archery, it doesn't matter to me." Baron grinned a little impishly at Haru. "I'll even take a thumb war."

His bride blushed as Tsuge scowled, guessing correctly who had been teaching the tawny lord how to fight with thumbs alone.

"Table tennis," he growled. "After school in the gym."

"It will have to be after detention," Baron said firmly, grinning at a horror-stricken Haru.

"Done," Tsuge said with a wicked smirk, just as the teacher began calling everyone to their desks.

Haru grabbed her husband's sleeve before he could get away. "Are you insane?" she whispered to him. "Do you even know how to play table tennis?"

"I have a rough idea," he assured her with a grin.

"But Tsuge's the district champion!"

Baron sighed, and brushed his lips against her cheek, whispering into her ear. "Just trust me, Haru. I know what I'm doing."


	12. Restraint

**Chapter Twelve: Restraint**

Despite Baron's assurances that he knew what he was doing, Haru fretted over the dilemma, barely able to keep her attention on the dates and names flowing past her. She managed to write down the notes, but she couldn't for the life of herself get over the small chunk of ice that had settled uncomfortably into her stomach.

What if Baron lost? How was her mother supposed to meet him on Monday if he couldn't come near her until a week from tomorrow? And he had promised to help her with the medicine the day after tomorrow, since she didn't want to be indebted to Mrs. Nashima for a single day more than she had to.

By the time lunch hour was called, Haru couldn't take it anymore. She grabbed her schoolbag and her crutch, rising from her seat as Baron fought his way through even more girls that were desperate to share their overly pretty lunches with him, even if it was just a single bite.

"Come with me," she told him by the time he reached her, almost turning on her heel to lead him out of the classroom.

"Now wait a second, Haru," the teacher said sternly, stopping her with one hand on her shoulder.

She stood on her tiptoes to whisper what she was planning to the sensei that had always been so patient with her.

Baron watched, a little amazed as the defenses fell from the middle-aged man's face, and he sighed as her guest came up from behind her.

"Come back in time for class," he told her sternly as he handed her a hall pass, walking back to his desk to enjoy his tofu.

Baron managed to beat her to the door, opening it so that she could go out first. He closed it behind himself, almost cutting off the disappointed cries from the girls within. "Am I in trouble?" he asked as he quickly caught up to the girl, matching her stride for stride as he snatched her bag away to make it easier for her.

"I'm a little irritated with you," Haru admitted, walking as fast as her ankle would allow her to. "Couldn't you have talked that match over with _me_ first?"

"I apologize for not doing so, but I didn't think that it would come as far as it did. Where are we going?" he asked curiously.

"Just trust me," his young bride answered with a slightly wicked smile.

He sighed, ignoring the faces peeking out at them from behind the half-closed classroom doors. "I had that coming, I suppose."

"Yes, you did," she said in a clipped tone, finally stopping at a door at the end of the hallway. She opened it up with one hand, and stepped into the darkness.

Baron followed her curiously, and was nearly blinded as she switched on the lights.

"Sorry," she apologized, making her way to a far corner of the huge gym, where the green ping-pong tables were kept.

"What are we doing here, love?" he asked as she past him a red bat that was shaped like a small plate.

She smiled grimly, and bounced a plastic white ball on the green table with a blue bat. "I just want to make sure that you can beat Tsuge after school. Get to the other side, please. We can eat after I see what you can do."

He nodded, setting her school bag against one of the table's legs, and placed himself at the opposite side of the table as his bride. "How is table tennis different from regular tennis again?" he asked curiously as she served, leaning heavily on her crutch.

"Almost not at all," she admitted as he swatted the ball back to her side of the net strung between them like a barricade. She swatted it back, despite her infirmity, since she was used to helping Tsuge practice whether or not she had a broken or sprained limb. "Except that you can play this when it's raining outside, and you don't have to move around as much."

He grinned at her again, sending the ball her way once more.

The white plastic ball danced between them many times, almost going over the edge more than once, but always sent flying back to the opposite side of the table.

With delight, Haru realized that he was a good match for her, which meant that he would be able to give Tsuge a run for his money, after all.

After ten minutes of playing against her husband, she caught the ball with her hand, calling the game to a halt. "All right, I'm convinced now. We can eat."

"Oh, good," he said with a teasing grin, picking up her schoolbag and following her to the side of the room. With ease, he settled himself comfortably next to her on the polished wooden floor. He un-wrapped the bento box that she really did prepare for them this time around as she poured her tea for both of them. It wasn't half as good as Baron's, but she wasn't about to let her husband prepare lunch for them every school day that was left, and she had no problem with switching off that duty.

"Is Tsuge usually so assertive over who spends time with you?" he asked while passing her a small bowl of delicately seasoned rice before helping himself to the second bowl.

"No, actually," Haru said thoughtfully between bites from her chopsticks. "A guy's never gotten interested in me enough for him _to _make such a fuss about before you came along. Maybe a little distance will be good for him. And me," she added with a depressed giggle. "I've been letting other people make decisions for me for a little too long."

Baron slowly looked up at her, and sipped his tea. "Do I make too many decisions for you?" he asked worriedly.

She looked over at him sharply. "That's different. You're my- boyfriend," she quickly caught herself, in case someone was listening. "Tsuge may think he's my brother, but he isn't. He's had me almost exclusively for twelve years. It's about time he learned to share."

He laughed warmly, and snuck a kiss on her cheek before returning to his rice. His chewing slowed as he watched her, his eyes clouded with questions, so many questions that he longed to ask. Which one could he ask? Which were the ones that would be painful for her?

Haru snuck a glance at him as she popped a piece of pineapple into her mouth. "What's wrong?" she asked with confusion.

He cocked his head at her, and breathed through his nostrils, so that she wouldn't notice how nervous he really was. "You once mentioned that you became deathly ill, many years ago."

"When I was six," she answered softly, sipping her tea. But she said nothing more, thinking- hoping, actually- that was the only thing he wanted to know.

"What was the illness?" he asked, after a few minutes had passed.

His young bride looked over at him curiously. "Does it matter?"

"To me, it does."

The slim brunette bit her lip, and looked down at the little that remained of her rice. "To be honest, I don't remember the name of the disease," she confessed, running her finger over the rim of her bowl. "I don't remember a whole lot from back then because the little time I was conscious, I couldn't see or comprehend anything. Whenever I manage to get Mom to talk about it, she just says that it was something genetic, something that we couldn't avoid." She scowled. "After the doctors couldn't make me better, Tsuge's mom stepped up, since she's an herbalist. The rest is history."

Baron wrapped one arm around her delicate shoulders, and squeezed tightly. "Were you different at all, before you got sick?" he asked intently.

Haru could only smile. "Those days feel like a lifetime ago," she said wistfully. "Even with the medicine, I'm limited to a small number of exercises to prevent a relapse, but before then… well, I wouldn't let anything stand in my way." The slim schoolgirl sighed regretfully. "I miss being able to run in front of my mother and friends without getting scolded. I miss being able to play sports with the other kids during recess, instead of getting permanently excused from exercise, even to the day I graduate. I even miss being able to dance in the rain, although I wasn't very good," she giggled sadly, leaning into his shoulder. "But I think I'd gladly trade all that to get Yuki back."

"Yuki?" he asked, prompting her to keep talking.

"She was my cat," Haru explained with a soft expression. "She started following me one day when she was a kitten, because I was eating some fish crackers. I gave her most of the box, since she was starving, and took her home with me. I was worried about her and Toto getting along, since I brought him home from that dog attack I told you about a month after I brought her home, but after a week together, you would have thought that they were siblings. They adored each other." She sighed sadly.

"But then, somewhere between when I got sick and when I got better, she disappeared. Mom said that she ran away, but I still don't believe that. She loved me and Toto far too much to just leave without so much as a goodbye. I tried looking for her, but… I never saw her again. I _still _miss her, Baron," she whispered, not able to keep her composure anymore.

A few tears ran down her cheeks, only to be caught by the soft cotton of her husband's glove as he brushed them away with one caressing hand.

"Oh, Haru…" was all he could say before wrapping her into a warm embrace, which was returned gratefully.

ooOoo

After detention, there were a surprising amount of students waiting in the gym to see Baron and Tsuge's match. The students, along with Haru's childhood friend, had spent the time clearing out all the gym equipment except for one ping-pong table along with the bats and ball.

As Haru and Baron walked into the room, they were suddenly assaulted by a steamed teacher. "Just what is the meaning of this, young lady?!" her gym teacher demanded.

"It's just a match between my boyfriend and best guy friend," the slim girl answered while blushing a little. "It's either this or have Tsuge get into a fistfight with Baron. Everyone will probably clear out after it's done."

Juno-sensei scowled. "I'll stay. It's my turn to lock up the school." With that, he sat himself firmly onto the end of the first row of chairs that the students had been setting up and settling into.

"There you are, Haru!" Hiromi squealed, seemingly appearing out of nowhere to tug gently on the edge of one of Haru's long gloves. "We've got a special place saved for you!"

"Good luck," she managed to wish Baron as her other best friend firmly dragged her to a table that had been placed on the long side of the green table. There was a cushion placed on the table, directly on the same line that the small black netting ran across.

"What do I look like, a trophy?" Haru demanded as Hiromi made her sit on the cushion, so that she would be in better view of both the contestants and the spectators.

"Hold that thought," the lighter brunette giggled helplessly as she retrieved what looked like a piece of paper from beneath the table. She held it by the top, revealing that the piece of loose leaf had been punctured twice so that some thin string could be run through it for a small sign.

Hiromi made to put it around Haru's neck, but the darker brunette stopped her so that she could get a look at what was written on the piece of paper.

'_First Prize!'_

"I'm _not _wearing this, Hiromi! Isn't this match demeaning enough?!" Haru nearly yelled, throwing the piece of paper and making Hiromi run after it, though she caught it with ease.

"_Pleeease_?" her best friend begged, making big puppy eyes that sparkled with mischief. "Pretty please with sugar on top? I'll owe you a favor!" she coaxed, nearly whimpering with anticipation.

Haru growled, and placed the sign around her neck to keep the puppy eyes at bay. "Better be a big one."

Hiromi squealed with delight, and held the ball ready as Baron and Tsuge took up their positions, glaring coldly at each other. "Tsuge gets to serve first," she said while blushing, setting the ball within his hand.

He didn't even look at her as he raised his bat to serve the ball.

"Stop!" Haru shouted. "How is this going to be played? A single match, or best two out of three?"

Tsuge growled with frustration. "One shot?" he snapped at his opponent, who nodded.

"The day grows old. Serve, please."

The bulky school boy did exactly that, snapping the ball across the table with lightning speed.

But Baron was ready for him.

The students watched breathlessly as the ball flew back and forth across the table. Tsuge fought with his years' worth of hard work, while Baron wielded his bat almost as delicately as a sword.

The seconds slowly stretched into minutes, the opponents refusing to give into each other.

Hiromi suddenly started giggling as she leaned against the table where the 'prize' was kept.

"What's up with you?" Haru asked curiously as her friend tried to stifle her giggles.

"Oh… I know you don't like video games, Haru, but there's this really good one from the first game system built. In the final showdown of the game, the hero and the villain get into an epic ping pong battle with a fireball. This just looked a lot like that. Their expressions!" she giggled helplessly. "It's like they're fighting to the death for your favor!"

Haru looked over at the two (at least part) human men in her life. Without her bidding, she could immediately see what Hiromi was talking about.

It was almost sinfully easy for her mind's eye to dress Baron in a suit of shining silver armor and a dark red sur-coat, wielding a sword like nothing was more natural to him. Picturing him as a brave hero that would challenge even the fates, to save his lady love, somehow seemed appropriate to her.

Her mouth turned a little dry from the thought of Baron wearing such finery, and her cheeks turned red again as her heart pounded unsteadily in her chest.

Her eyes slid over to Tsuge, changing his appearance in her mind as well. Suddenly he was no longer an overprotective schoolboy, but a terrible magician that fought savagely with a giant wooden staff that commanded the blackest of magic. He was dressed in robes of darkness and his eyes glowed blood-red with hatred-

"Stop that," she whispered harshly to herself as the battle on the table continued to rage.

Even if Tsuge was acting like a jealous overprotective brother, he didn't deserve to be pictured as a wicked magician, even in her thoughts. She was one of his best friends, for crying out loud! She shouldn't be picturing him as a bad guy, because he wasn't!

Tsuge was panting heavily now, but to Haru, it still looked like his eyes were glowing red with unbridled hatred. He snarled, unleashing his favorite move on his opponent.

But Baron angled his wrist strangely as he hit the ball back, in just a way that it would head toward one end of the table, but then bounce in the other direction.

Tsuge had been lured out of position. He watched with horror as the ball zipped past him. He tried desperately to catch it with his bat, but the ball touched the floor of the gym a split-second before he could guide it back to the table.

"He _won_?!" Hiromi yelled in shock as the students let out a collective gasp, which was quickly followed by a thunderous applause, by the males, at least.

Baron set his bat on the table, and bowed slightly to Tsuge, who had fallen on the ground listlessly in his attempt to save the ball. "It was a worthy fight," he congratulated him before turning to claim his prize.

He drew closer to his wife, and bowed deeply before stealing her hand for a kiss. "Wouldst thou perchance honor me with your presence at dinner tonight?" he asked, deliberately using a more formal tone as he smiled charmingly.

Haru couldn't help but laugh. "Gladly will I dine with thee, Sir Knight. But take heed not to invoke my wrath by another duel without prior warning."

"Fair enough," he agreed before sweeping her, crutch, schoolbag and all, into his arms, taking the sign from around her neck and throwing it over one shoulder casually.

"Hey, we had a deal!" the slim brunette protested as he carried her past the cheering crowd, and out the gym. "You promised you wouldn't carry me around school!"

"Actually, I promised that I wouldn't carry you around _during _school," he answered with an impudent grin.

Haru opened her mouth to answer that, but couldn't think of an argument against it.

"Besides, it's a special occasion," he added, kissing her brow as he carried her around the halls, and out the front doors to his car.

"All right," she grumbled. "You win."

He smiled warmly, and set her into his silver vehicle delicately. "Two victories in one day? Not a bad record."


	13. Horror

**Chapter Thirteen: Horror**

"… so Baron demolished him," Haru finished the story of the match, making his family laugh over their dessert of angel food cake, which was draped artistically with strawberries.

After she was finished laughing, Louise shook her head lovingly at her son. "Honestly, son; was such a spectacle truly necessary?"

"I grew tired of his attitude," Baron said in a surly manner, after swallowing a bite of cake. "He was treating Haru like some sort of pet, and I shouldn't need his approval to be with my own wife!"

"It's not like he knew we're married," his young bride reminded him, giggling a little.

Baron cast a glance at her, and smiled grimly. "If he _did _know, what do you think he'd do?" he asked seriously.

"Have a simultaneous heart attack and stroke," Haru said easily, using the last of her cake to soak up the juices from the strawberries. "Then if he survived, he'd scream at me for a while and come after you with a baseball bat."

"What about your other best friend?" Muta grunted, already on his third slice of cake. "Nirami, or Hiramo…"

"Hiromi," she corrected, thinking about it. "Well, I think she'd be shocked, but as long as I was happy with Baron, I don't think she'd make _too _big of a fuss. Tsuge's mom and mine, on the other hand…"

Aunt Rebecca sighed, and stood up to start gathering the dirty dishes from the table. "I have a bad feeling about that woman. Mrs. Nashima, I mean, not your mother," she added with a nervous smile. "Something about how Baron described her gives me the shivers."

"It's worse when you _have_ to do as she says," Haru informed her, struggling to her feet with Baron's assistance. "Can I help wash the dishes tonight?" she asked yet again, still feeling a little guilty for taking such advantage of her husband's family's hospitality.

"Now, dear," Louise gently chastised her with a loving smile. "There will be plenty of time for you to help after your ankle heals."

"I can do all sorts of chores at home with worse injuries than this," the slim brunette objected once again.

"Love, please humor us," Baron said tiredly, sweeping her into his arms to carry her out of the room. "Besides, I wanted to discuss your illness with Mother."

The white feline sharply turned to face her son. "What illness?" she asked in a low tone.

"It's not that big of a deal," Haru protested while blushing again, but her husband squeezed her firmly to silence her.

"Whether it is or not, I would feel better if Mother checked on you." He turned to face his mother with a grave expression. "She became deathly ill as a child, but was never quite told what the disease was. She's been forced to take a bitter medicine every morning, and Mrs. Nashima has been abusing her power over Haru and her mother ever since then, because she's apparently the only one that can make the medicine. Would you mind taking a look at her?"

"Not at all," his mother assured both of them, her crystal blue eyes taking on a stormy contrast. "Please follow me."

"This isn't really necessary," Haru tried to protest, but then Louise hugged her tightly and kissed her cheek while she was still in Baron's arms.

"_Yes it is_, dear. We've grown rather fond of you, and would rather that you stuck around for quite a number of years. Please, Haru. Just let us help you."

The slim brunette swallowed hard, and looked at her lap, her arms still around Baron's neck. "All right," she mumbled.

"Besides," her husband said cheerfully as he followed his mother across the family manor to her study. "When was the last time a doctor checked on you for your illness?"

"Well… not since before Tsuge's mother started giving me the medicine," Haru admitted as her husband gently set her on a long padded couch that reminded her of the ones that shrinks put their patients on.

"Would you like me to leave, love?" the tawny feline asked.

She bit her lip, and looked at her mother-in-law. "Am I going to need to take my clothes off?" she asked while blushing.

Louise smiled gently at her. "Why don't you help Muta and Rebecca, dear?" she suggested to her embarrassed son. "I haven't had the chance for a good private talk with her since you two got married."

"As you wish, Mother," he said quickly before gently kissing his wife's cheek. He kissed his mother the same way, and closed the door behind him.

"Well," Louise said, casting her warm gaze on her daughter-in-law. "Now to business; how are you getting along with my boy?"

Haru blushed, but a small smile betrayed her feelings. "A lot better than I thought we would when we met that night," she admitted. "Sometimes we disagree, or he does something I don't understand, but… I have to admit that I'm really attracted to him anyway."

"That's how a relationship is supposed to be, dear," the tall white feline told her as she opened up a large white cabinet close to the girl. "Frankly, I would have been worried if you said that there were no problems at all. Even Humbert's father was good for a fight or two," she said with a reminiscing giggle. "As long as you're willing to say you're sorry, though, you can usually work your way through those fights. It also helps to say 'I love you' fairly often, but I'm fairly sure that things haven't quite progressed _that _well between you and my boy."

Haru looked at her mother-in-law a little sadly. "What was his father like?" she asked softly as the furry woman checked her pulse against a grandfather clock against one side of the room.

"Almost exactly like his son, but without the magical abilities," Louise answered sadly. "He and Humbert were cut from the same cloth, aside from that small distinction. When I met him, he was courting a woman that his mother had ordered him to marry for her money, but, as he later told me, all it took was one look, and his mother couldn't beat him away from me with a stick, and believe me, she tried." The middle-aged feline giggled at the memory.

"Love at first sight?" Haru asked disbelievingly.

"I wouldn't go that far, dear. Love is something too beautiful and powerful to be wrapped up in something as flimsy as a good first impression. Heavy attraction at first sight was far closer to what happened, even if it doesn't sound as poetic. Drink this, dear," Louise suddenly urged her, handing the girl a small vial filled with a dark blue liquid.

"What does it do?" she asked, looking at it nervously in one hand.

"It will help me hear what your body's trying to tell you," the pale feline explained, drinking a small vial herself. "I think there's something your body needs, and this is the best way to find out."

Haru nodded, and lifted the small glass bottle to her lips. It tasted like fresh mountain water, with an under taste of pine and sunshine.

A comforting warmth spread throughout her body as Louise urged her to lie on her back against the couch, her face full of concentration.

"Does it hurt if I touch here?" Louise asked, gently pressing against Haru's stomach.

"A little, but that might be because we just ate."

She frowned, and pressed in the middle of her abdomen. "What about here?"

Haru grimaced. "There a bit more."

Louise repeated this process over Haru's body parts, carefully reading the double messages of her potion and the brunette's reactions to her gentle probing.

But both of them were taken back when Louise pressed her hands over Haru's forehead.

The brunette screamed, not a yelp, but an ear-shattering shriek of untold agony as she rolled off the couch in pain. The tall white feline, jumped back in shock, a startled hiss on her lips and her padded hands on fire as the girl curled into a fetal position, her hands hovering around her head like she was afraid to touch it.

Tears of pain fell down Haru's face. "I'm sorry," she wept, covering her face in shame. "I… can't… I'm so… please forgive me."

Louise kneeled next to her pale daughter-in-law, and quickly drew her into a warm embrace, turning her hands into fists to keep the probing potion from activating. "Shh, it's all right, dear," she whispered into the weeping girl's ear, even as her mind recoiled from the implications of the brunette's violent reaction.

The door burst open from Baron, his eyes wide with fear as he rushed to his bride's side. "What happened?!" he asked his mother in horror, even as Muta and Rebecca rushed to the opened door to see what had caused the horrible scream.

"It's her mind," Louise reported, rubbing her cheek against the weeping girl's hair in a comforting manner. "Her whole body's being affected, but her mind is suffering the worst of all. Haru, you said you're taking a medicine?"

Still sobbing, the slim girl nodded.

"Stop it. Right now. Whatever that woman's been giving you is doing more harm than good. I'll need to do a few more tests to determine what you need instead, but I don't dare right now. You need to rest."

"I'll take her back, then," Baron said while lifting his bride easily into his arms, cradling her close as he moved towards the door.

His cousin and aunt moved aside to let them through, but then stepped into the study as Baron walked down the hallway.

"What is it that made her scream like that?" Rebecca asked in a hushed, horrified tone.

"Poison," Louise whispered in horror. "That… _woman_ was poisoning her."

"But why?" Muta demanded angrily, slamming a fist into the wall behind him. "Why would anyone want to hurt Chicky?"

"I don't know, but we can't tell Haru yet. I don't think she'll believe us, and we need to get her healthy again as soon as possible."

ooOoo

Haru's head was still pounding painfully as she stumbled to her bed, her hair wet from the shower she just took. Her hand was heavy sluggish as she checked on the list of messages.

There were seven from the Nashima residence, none of which she was actually going to listen to or answer, and one from the number she had been calling her mother from. Haru stared at the line, and pressed the button to hear her mother's message.

"Call me immediately. You're in big trouble, young lady."

Haru groaned, but called the number. Once again, it only took a single ring for her mother to pick up.

"Before you start screaming at me," she said quickly before her mother could start yelling. "Mrs. Nashito was overstepping her boundaries this morning, and Tsuge was the one that wanted to fight Baron. It wasn't my fault he lost."

Her mother humphed angrily. "What's happening to you, Haru?! Ever since you met _that boy_, you've been ignoring everything we say. Where's my child, and what have you done with her?!"

"She's growing up," Haru answered, one hand over her sore forehead. "Do you really want me to spend the rest of my life at your beck and call? Don't you want me to make at least a few decisions by myself?"

Her mother hesitated, like she wasn't quite sure how to answer her daughter. "Of… course-"

"Then let me. Despite what you, Tsuge, and his mother think, I really can control my own life. Are you so terrified of what I will do when I'm not under anyone's thumb, that you have to keep me on such a short leash?"

Her mother's breath became sharp and unsteady over the phone, like she was terrified of the idea. "What are you trying to do?" she whispered in horror. "Have you forgotten the debt we owe Tsuge's family for your life? Where would you be without Ryuko's medicine?"

"Healthy, maybe," Haru said, pulling her face into one of disgust. "I got a second opinion on that bile she's been forcing on me. Apparently it's not half as good as she says it is."

"What?" her mother asked in shock.

"You heard me. I'm going to work on getting a new prescription tomorrow, from someone I trust more than Tsuge's mother."

"Haru… you can't do this! You _have _to take the medicine!"

"No, you just want me to," the brunette snapped, putting one hand over her face in frustration. "But you know what? I am sick and tired of being sick and tired! I want to have a life without living in fear anymore! And I swear before everything I hold dear that I _am _going to get it!"

Toto was at her window, cawing appreciatively through the glass. She grinned at him, and opened the window for him to enter. He hopped onto her bed, and snuggled deep into her side as she ran one hand over his feathers. The large crow shuddered with delight at her touch, but Haru was certain that part of his pleasure came from her words, which she suddenly realized were years overdue.

Her mother was silent for an uncomfortably long time. "Are you going to be spending the weekend with him?" she finally asked in a quiet voice, although she more than likely already knew the answer.

"Yes," Haru said in a voice of iron.

"Are you **sleeping** over?"

"NO!" she answered in shock, knowing how her mother meant it. "Baron is too chivalrous to even suggest it, and you know me better than that!"

Her mother sighed heavily with relief. "That's something, at least. Is there a way that you can take Hiromi and Tsuge with you?"

"Tsuge can't come near me until after school's out, unless he wants to be branded as an oath-breaker."

"Just Hiromi, then? Could you, I don't know, make a double date out of it?"

"I'll see what I can do," Haru promised, and bid her mother good night. Setting the phone back in its cradle, she started fishing around the drawer after opening it with one hand. "Guess what, Toto?"

The crow cawed inquisitively.

"Baron's mom found out that the medicine Tsuge's mom's been giving me was actually making me sick, so she's going to help me out."

Toto slapped one wing to his forehead in a 'duh' gesture, cawing pitifully.

Haru slipped off the bed in order to be at eye-level with her feathered friend. "You already knew?" she asked, feeling heat rise to her cheeks.

The crow nodded, still cawing, like he was trying to tell her something more than what she had already figured out.

"That was why you'd steal the medicine at any opportunity?"

He nodded his head again, tenderly brushing one wing over her face.

"Well, I'm not going to take it anymore, so you can relax," she informed him while rubbing his head. She suddenly giggled. "You'll love this, but Baron absolutely devastated Tsuge in a ping-pong match, with me as the stakes. He can't come near me until the end of school without sacrificing his reputation."

Toto started cackling wickedly.

"I thought you'd appreciate that," she giggled, standing up with the crutch in one hand and the half-empty vial in the other. "Now I'm going to celebrate by flushing this junk down the toilet!"

"Could you hold off for a moment, dear?" Baron asked, his shadow rising over the quilt to solidify into his feline form. One leg was hanging off the side of her bed, and the other was tucked neatly against his torso. In one hand, he was holding a steaming cup of tea.

"I'll trade you," he offered with a charming smile, holding the cup out to her. "This is for your headache, and Mother wanted a look at the 'medicine'."

"She can _have _it," Haru said, sitting next to him on the bed and trading the items. She inhaled the smell of the tea lingeringly before letting the warm liquid slide down her throat. "But I have to wonder if Mrs. Nashito knew her stuff was hurting me," she whispered softly.

"Who knows?" Baron asked almost stiffly, making the vial disappear between his fingers. At her confused expression, he grinned again. "Mother has it now," he explained as Toto hopped onto his shoulder unexpectedly.

"What on earth-" he started saying, but Haru stopped him with one raised hand, since she could tell that her feathered friend wasn't being aggressive.

As her husband held still, the crow started rubbing his head affectionately against Baron's cheek, cawing happily.

"He _likes_ you!" Haru said with delight, since she hadn't stopped worrying about Toto's selective preferences, when it came to people he would willingly put up with for Haru's sake.

Baron's expression was almost awed, as he gently stroked the bird's dark head and neck. "A bird has never come so close to me before, let alone of his own free will," he whispered, like he was afraid that speaking too loudly would startle the bird, and break the peaceful moment. "What could have made you forget about the enmity between our species, Toto?"

The crow looked pointedly at Haru, cawing in an adoring manner.

"I told him what you and your mother did today," she informed her husband with a happy smile.

"I see. You don't care much for the Nashito family, do you, Toto?" he asked the crow with a sly grin.

The bird cawed angrily, shaking his head like a mad man.

Baron grinned, and gently patted his new friend's feathers. "Well, don't fret. We'll have the Haru you used to know back in no time. You have my word on it."

With tears in her eyes, his young bride set her teacup aside, and wrapped her arms around his chest for a warm embrace. "Thank you, Baron," she whispered against his soft navy shirt, feeling Toto's beak run lovingly through her hair.

"You're welcome, love. Now sleep. Another day awaits."


	14. Fear

**Chapter Fourteen: Fear**

_The sun was setting over the mountain, making shadows pass over the landscape to create a beautiful sight. _

_Hiromi gazed at the sunset contentedly, easing her head against the huge man's shoulder, making him stiffen noticeably from nerves. "You sure are lucky, Muta," she whispered._

"_Why's that, Chicky?" he asked, even as he rubbed one large hand behind his head in a bashful manner._

"_That you get to see this every day. You can't see anything like this back in the city."_

_He stared at her, and smiled a little shyly. "Would you like to see it tomorrow?"_

_The lighter brunette, who looked so tiny next to the young man's bulk, glanced up at his face beaming. "Can I?"_

Unbidden, Haru's eyes snapped open. She blinked a few times, letting her eyes adjust to the soft darkness of the room. A glance over her shoulder revealed Toto sleeping on the back of her chair, and Baron's arms still wrapped firmly around her slender form.

"What's with these dreams?" she whispered softly to herself as her headache returned with a dull pounding. She cuddled a little deeper into her husband's arms, thinking about the last dream she had. _'The one I had about the river came true. Is this one destined to become reality as well?'_

She knew that Hiromi was losing hope over Tsuge, who refused to acknowledge her as anything more than a friend.

Scratch that.

As Haru thought about the years since meeting Hiromi, she realized that Tsuge merely put up with the lighter brunette for Haru's sake, because she so wanted to have a female friend to just be girls with, since he couldn't stand talking about anything besides sports and stupidly funny movies (that _she _only endured for his sake).

Hiromi had wanted to be friends with her only after figuring out that the rumors about her and Tsuge being a couple were false, so that she could become closer to the bulky teenager that consumed so much of Haru's life. She was nearly inseparable from the darker brunette now, but still had yet for Tsuge to give her a single smile that was in no way connected to Haru.

Somehow, the dark brunette became dead certain that Tsuge would never look at Hiromi the way she so wished him to. She looked at her husband, and smiled mysteriously. _'I'll ask him to help me hook Hiromi up with Muta in the morning. Mom __**did **__say that she wanted me to be on a double date, after all, and I bet a guy like Muta would be able to appreciate her better than Tsuge would.' _She sighed, and settled her head back onto the pillow, since it was still hours before sunrise.

But before she closed her eyes, Baron began shifting around, his face twisting into agony in the shadowy darkness.

"Honey?" she whispered as his body concaved around hers, clearly attempting a fetal position.

"No… no…" he moaned in his sleep, actual tears flowing from his eyes.

"Baron, wake up," she whispered, shaking his shoulders, but his body still shuddered from a nightmare he couldn't escape. She looked over at the crow, not wishing to disturb him in her attempts to awaken her husband.

Haru wasn't entirely sure where the idea came from, but she didn't want to leave her husband writhing in agony for a second more than she had to.

As his mouth opened to admit another horrified 'no', she neatly pressed her mouth against his, and adjusted her hold on him to the back of his neck. A little self-consciously, since she had never tried something this bold before, she kissed her husband as passionately as she could, running her tongue along the inside his mouth like she was planning on making maps of it later. She clutched him harder to herself, praying that this aggressive method would work.

Baron's body gave a different shudder than the earlier ones, and his arms gripped her tighter as his tongue began to dance caressingly around her own. Haru closed her eyes to savor the kiss as new sensations washed over her body and mind, her heart pumping louder and louder as her husband's slight whimper turned into a satisfied moan that echoed from her own throat.

'_Oh my!' _she thought in ecstasy, her mind and heart swirling around with too many emotions to think anything more coherent except, _'I should have kissed him sooner!'_

Then without warning, Baron sharply pulled away, leaving her feeling very cold and alone. Haru opened her eyes slowly, like she was drugged. Her heart was still pounding, but now it seemed in protest to her husband's distance from her.

Baron was _wide _awake now, but he was pressed as far away from her as he could across the wall that her bed rested against, his expression full of horror.

When he could finally speak, it was a hoarse whisper. "I… I'm sorry, Haru. I don't know what came over me-"

"I kissed you first," she said quickly, in case he was preparing to teleport himself back to his home before she had a chance to explain. "I woke up, you started thrashing around in your sleep, and I couldn't get you to wake up. I thought that way could work."

"Well…" he said with a slightly strained laugh. "It did."

She sat up from bed, and tugged on his sleeve. "Good. Now get down, you look silly when you do that."

A little sheepishly, he peeled himself from the wall, and very hesitantly crawled under the blankets with her.

She firmly wrapped her arms around her husband's chest again, and set her head on the pillow. "What was the nightmare about?"

He swallowed hard as he slowly put his arms around her slender form again. "It… was Ryuichi, sealing me into the ground again. I could feel my flesh slowly rotting off my bones again as the years marched by, and there wasn't a single thing I could do about it. It was terrible."

Touched by his horror, she kissed his cheek, and rubbed her face against the soft blue flannel shirt he slept in. "Well, that experience is over with, Baron. Every time you get one of those nightmares, I'll be right here to wake you up. I'll watch over you from now on."

Baron stared at the pale angel in his arms, a few tears of gratitude squeezing past his guard as a thrilled smile took over his face. He kissed her forehead, and held her close. "Thank you, Haru," he whispered, rubbing his cheek against her soft hair, savoring her scent.

She smiled as well, and yawned. "No prob. What's a wife for?"

A light laugh escaped his throat, but his eyes were still troubled. "May I ask something personal, Haru?"

"Sure," she sighed, now that she was comfortably in his arms once more.

"How many men have sampled your lips?" he asked in a rush, hating himself for asking such a question, but he knew it was a common practice for girls nowadays to have kissed a number of boys before high school ended.

The slim brunette quirked an eyebrow at him, and worked one of her arms loose. "I can count the grand total on one hand," she said softly as she extended a single slim finger, and pressed it against his heart. "You stole my first kiss yourself the night we met. Even if men got interested in me before you came into my life, I'm too shy to give out kisses like pretzels."

He was silent for a moment, and then laughed, thrilled that her _irresistible_ lips had been saved for him alone. "I see. So you're a natural talent."

Haru blushed a deep magenta color. "I… was just… making it up as I went along," she stammered, making her husband laugh again.

"You did just fine, love. But I'm afraid that I must warn you against kissing me like that again unless you mean business. I enjoyed it a little too much for my own good."

"That much?" she asked in a tiny voice, although a surge of triumph sang through her blood.

"Oh, yes," Baron said fervently, a silly grin replacing the slightly terrified one. He kissed her head, and nestled comfortably into the covers while cradling her, ecstatic that she was his, and no one could take her away from him. "Good night, dear."

"Honey? How many girls have sampled _your _lips?" she asked timidly.

Her husband cracked an eye open to look at her, and smiled soothingly. "You forget the times I grew up in, love. My father taught me that it wasn't proper to kiss a woman until after a proposal, and I was sent to that riverside before proposing to anyone. But I must say, the extra wait was well worth it."

She blushed, but giggled as she settled back into his arms, and fell asleep once more, content that all was well, after all.

ooOoo

Haru didn't bother to pack her bento box the next day, since it was Baron's turn to provide it. She giggled, her cheeks still flushing from the memory of the kiss. Toto was looking at her funny as he finished his mulberry-jam covered toast, but the glorious memory was one thing that she didn't want to share with anyone. It was something that was just hers and Baron's.

An insistent knocking suddenly assaulted her door, one that didn't match Baron's at all.

But she recognized it anyway, as did Toto, who quickly flew out of a window so that his human friend could close and lock it. Haru groaned as she moved with the crutch, school bag in one hand so that she could escape as soon as possible. The slim brunette started to open the door, only to have it ripped from her grasp and thrown widely open with an explosive force.

"Haru, you are in big trouble this time!" Mrs. Nashito yelled at the top of her lungs, absolutely livid as she stormed into the slim brunette's home like she owned it. "How dare you disrespect me?! First with that boy, and with the match, and not even answering my phone calls?! I have a good mind to never make your medicine again, how do you feel about that?!"

The older woman kept screaming at the younger one, going on and on about how much Haru owed her and her son, and how the school girl had better shape up if she didn't want to get sick again.

Always before, when Tsuge's mother went on a tirade like this, Haru would cower and beg for forgiveness before running out of the room.

But now, when she knew what the woman's bitter concoction had really been doing to her, a different emotion began to swell within her heart. It wasn't quite anger, although she had plenty of reasons to feel so, after being a verbal punching bag and puppet for twelve years. There was sadness, fear, though just a little of it, and determination.

As the older woman's passionate ramblings began to lose their venom, her shrill voice drifting away into a soft incoherence, and her older brown eyes locked onto Haru's, she realized what the feeling was.

An overpowering need for justice, as she seemed to look into the woman's soul, and found only a growing fear of Haru herself. The slim girl let the growing pressure behind her eyes flow out, and smother the woman's willpower with her own. Mrs. Nashito's body sagged slightly, awaiting judgment as her soul froze in horror.

"Nashito Ryuko," the young brunette said formally, like she was giving a speech at school, except with a colder passion. _This _was the tone she hadn't quite used on her mother, out of love, but there was nothing to stop her from using it on Tsuge's mother. "You have been taking outrageous advantage of my mother and me for the past twelve years. I know the medicine doesn't help."

A wave of pure terror overcame the middle-aged woman's features, but she could not move, unable to do anything except stare into Haru's determined eyes.

"Your acts have been unforgivable. If you wish to avoid harsh judgment, you will do exactly as I say." Haru's voice became deeper, more commanding than one would expect from such a frail girl. It was a tone that very few people had ever heard of her. "**You **_**will **_**march back into your home. You **_**will**_** call my mother. You **_**will**_** apologize for everything you have ever done to us. You will **_**never**_** approach either of us again. For the rest of your days, you will **_**not**_** impose your will on another soul again. Leave. **_**Now**_."

With a cry of absolute terror, Mrs. Nashito ran out the door, past a shocked Baron as he made his way up the concrete path, and across the street to slam her front door behind her fearfully.

The tawny man looked back to his bride as she came to stand in the doorway, grinning a little wickedly.

"Check and mate," she announced while hiding the sudden headache that pounded against her skull like a sledgehammer, locking the door behind her while leaning on the crutch heavily, doing her best not to show her husband that what she had just done had left her feeling like a weak kitten.

"Haru, what on earth did you do to that woman?" Baron asked with shock, and more than a little respect.

"Do you remember what I told you about my orders?" she said while kissing his cheek, still smiling happily. "Well, I gave her a few that she's going to obey, to the letter, until the day she dies. If I had been smarter, I'd have given those orders years ago. Oh well."

Baron was still staring at her, shaking his head in amazement as he suddenly rushed forward to open the car door for her. "I would _really _like to see you give an order like that someday, Haru."

"No, you don't," she said firmly as he walked around the car in order to repeat their school routine. "Those that see me give an order get nightmares for years."

The ones that lived that long, anyway.

Baron shook his head as he casually looked over at her, but then stopped cold from starting on the car. He looked at her face intently, leaning over to cup her face gently with one hand.

"What is it, honey?" she whispered, wondering if he was about to initiate a make-out session. Not that she would have minded.

"Your eyes," he said after a moment. "They have gold threads running through them, almost like a spider's web."

She giggled, touching his hand gently. "They're usually like that in the morning. I'm surprised that you didn't notice before."

"I've noticed, but… they're more intense as of now."

Haru shrugged. "Maybe what your mother did last night altered my body chemistry. My eyes were pure gold before I got sick."

"Yes…" Baron murmured, almost to himself as he started the car. "That must be it."

"So…" she said, eager to get off the current topic. "Did you tell Muta about my idea?"

Her husband stole another glance at her, and grinned wickedly as he headed toward the school. "I did."

"What did he think of it?" she asked, leaning towards him slightly in anticipation.

"Well, to be perfectly frank, he didn't want anything to do with it, but Aunt Rebecca and Mother managed to convince him to give Hiromi a chance. I think it will be good for both of them, _if _you can manage to convince Hiromi into giving a blind date a try."

She grinned at him, and patted his shoulder. "Just watch and learn, love. Watch and learn."


	15. Aggravation

A/N: I know this has nothing to do with the story, but while I was writing this chapter, I sprained my ankle at the bottom of the stairs in my home. It was even the same leg as Haru. This was not intentional, but I couldn't escape the irony of it all.

**Chapter Fifteen: Aggravation**

Hiromi looked a little down when Haru and Baron came up behind her, her head bowed low over her desk, and her fists clenched tightly into her lap.

A little worried, since the lighter brunette usually reeked of happiness, Haru slid into her seat and reached forward to start massaging her friend's shoulders gently. "What's wrong, Hiromi?" she asked softly.

"Nothing," her friend mumbled, but she wasn't fooling anyone.

With a glance, Haru asked Baron to move to his seat at the back of the classroom. He nodded, leaving the two to relative privacy.

Hiromi watched him go from the corner of her eye before facing her best friend, knowing that Haru could tell she was lying. "I told Tsuge how I felt about him," she whispered, her hazel eyes looking like she had cried all night. "He… he yelled at me. It was just after the match, and Baron had just walked off with you. I should have waited a little longer, but I wanted to make him feel better. But he yelled at me to leave him alone, and stormed off."

Haru moved out of her seat to shakily wrap her best friend into a deep hug while handing her a handkerchief for the tears her poor friend was afraid to shed, almost cradling the lighter brunette in her arms. _'I wonder if he's even noticed girls yet,' _she thought angrily.

Although he was one of the best-looking men in school, and more than one girl had her eye on him, she knew for a fact that he had never had a sweetheart, had never kissed anyone, had never even made eyes at a girl.

Haru cursed herself for not considering her friend's plight before now. "Hiromi," she said softly, willing some moisture back into her throat. "I don't think he was the one for you, anyway."

Her friend looked up at her, hazel eyes still cloudy with misery. "I know," she whispered with pain. "I've known for years that I wasn't the one for him. But… a girl can dream, right?"

"Always," Haru assured her, stroking her hair with one hand, like the teenage girl in her arms was really a child in need of comfort. She bit her lip, remembering her dream, and took the plunge. "I know this is a bad time, but…"

"But?" the lighter brunette asked, rubbing away one last unshed tear.

"You know that favor you promised yesterday? I'd like to call it in. Mom said I can spend the weekend with Baron, _if _I double-dated with you."

Hiromi looked at her, her melancholy dissolving into astonishment. "And just who am I supposed to bring?" she asked in a slightly clipped tone. "Even if I didn't ruin things with Tsuge, he couldn't come near you."

"Do you remember Baron's cousin that we told you about? The one that's a chef?"

"What about him?"

"Well, Baron talked to him, and Muta said he'd put up with a blind date if you would. He's sometimes a little gruff, and he's built like a sumo wrestler, but he's actually a pretty nice guy. Come on, for me?" Haru asked while unleashing the same puppy eyes that Hiromi used on her the day before.

"Stop, stop!" the lighter brunette laughed as she held her hands up to protect her eyes from the incredibly potent persuading technique, the tears slowly drying up. "I'll go along with it, but stop with the puppy dog pout!"

"You won't regret it, Hiromi," Haru promised, stealing one more hug before returning to her seat. She looked back to see Baron, but Tsuge was right next to him.

The bulky teenager looked like he hadn't slept a wink all night, huge circles around his eyes as he said something savagely to her sweetheart.

Haru could read one word from her friend's lips.

_Rematch._

Baron smiled and shook his head almost cordially as he said something back.

Tsuge's fists started shaking as he snarled some more. Baron's eyes cooled to the point of ice as he slowly stood up, still speaking calmly. The darker youth spat something else, sneaking a look at Haru from the corner of his eye.

She looked back at him sternly, her eyes narrowed dangerously. _'Don't you dare…'_

He flinched slightly, and turned to snap something else at her husband, who had witnessed the silent exchange between them.

The tawny lord held one hand up to tell the other boy to wait a second, and approached the grim brunette.

"Tell him no," Haru said before Baron could speak. "He lost fair and square, and I'm not happy with how he's been treating Hiromi. Tell him if he doesn't back off, I'll give him worse orders than the ones I gave his mother."

Her husband quirked an eyebrow at her, but his grin was a little smug, like he knew she would answer something like that.

"Please, Baron?" she asked tiredly, bracing her pounding head against one hand. "I'm getting sick of him behaving like a spoiled child."

"Do I have your permission to repeat that?" he asked with a gentle smile.

"You have my insistence, Baron. He needs to grow up, _now_."

He smiled compassionately, and kissed her cheek before turning to the back of the room, and to the fuming school boy.

"I think it'll take more than an order to get him to behave, Haru," Hiromi said in a soft tone, trying to hand back the soaked handkerchief.

"Not if you do it right, it won't," the darker brunette said ominously, gesturing with one hand for her friend to keep the embroidered piece of cotton.

The lighter brunette gave her a grateful look, and tucked the handkerchief into her desk as Baron repeated Haru's words, the teacher calling the class to order before Tsuge had any time to start a fight.

"What is it with the order joke, anyway?" Hiromi whispered as the students filed into their seats.

"Pray you'll never find out," Haru answered as she opened her textbook and notes, refusing to say more.

The slim girl could feel Tsuge's eyes on her throughout school, his feelings of betrayal washing against her soul like the cold waves on a lonely beach. She sighed a little, wishing that she hadn't needed to hurt her oldest friend like that. But what could she do? He was getting out of control, treating her, as Baron had so eloquently put it the day before, like a pet instead of a person, incapable of making any decisions for herself.

That was one of the things she liked about her husband. Sure, he sometimes made decisions for her, but at least she could understand why he wanted her to be close to his family, to be healthy, and to have a good relationship with him.

She nibbled the end of her pencil between filling in the blank spaces of her English exam, struggling to keep her mind on the proper tenses and verbs that she had studied for endless hours.

Both Baron and Tsuge ordered her around, but the way they did it felt so _different_. But… why? They both loved her, although it was more than likely to different degrees, and wanted what was best for her.

Didn't they? She knew Baron did, but as she was nearly forced to push Tsuge farther away, she had to wonder why he appeared to almost be a stranger to her.

ooOoo

Louise smiled in satisfaction as she carefully poured a small ladleful of lavender liquid into a small crystal vial, and then corked it before setting it inside an intricate silver box lined with dark blue velvet. Several other vials were already inside the box in neat rows. Once the beautiful box was filled with the new medicine, the white feline closed the lid and latched it shut.

"I can't wait to see what she's really like, Rebecca," she confided in her little sister, who embraced her from behind.

"I know. What do you think she is, when she isn't poisoned into insensibility?" the brown half-cat asked curiously.

"Your guess is as good as mine. That bile didn't give me the slightest hint," Louise answered in a slightly miffed tone. But a smile still worked its way onto her furry lips, as she traced the design of the box's lid with one finger. "We'll just have to be patient, that's all."

The crystal wren in her study began singing a clear tone, indicating that her son had returned home with his pale bride. The snowy feline glowed happily, and picked up the fruits of her labors to quickly walk out of her study, and to the front door, since he had to carry her from the car before taking her inside the house. The brown half-cat followed, hoping to know whether or not the human had managed to convince her friend to date the corpulent chef.

Baron seemed to be in a good mood, which may have had something to do with the fact that Haru's arms were around his neck, one of her slim hands casually removing the amulet so that he could resume his natural form. His smooth skin rippled like gentle waves on a pond before fur reasserted itself onto his features, which subtly flowed back to resemble that of a feline.

Haru tucked the amulet into the breast pocket of his jacket, and hugged his neck while rubbing one cheek thoughtfully against her husband's chest. "Hi Louise, Aunt Rebecca," she greeted them softly, her lips curving into a gentle smile as Baron carried her closer to them.

"Hello, dear," Louise beamed at the girl, holding out the silver box to her. "I'll probably hold onto this until you return home tonight, but this is the medicine I'd like you to start taking."

Haru took the box and opened it curiously. "I hope it tastes better than the other stuff."

"I can guarantee you that it will, dear. I'd like you to drink one vial every night before going to bed. The damage is extensive, but this is a good start to repairing your body."

Haru smiled, and had Baron ease her out of his arms long enough for her to embrace her mother-in-law, holding the box shut with one arm. "You're so _cool_, Louise. Thank you."

She cocked her head, and looked at her son with confusion while embracing the girl.

"That's a term for something or someone she thinks highly of," Baron translated with a silly grin on his face. "As far as I can tell, it means the same as saying 'wonderful'."

"More or less," Haru agreed, sneaking a hug out of Rebecca as well. "I got Hiromi to agree to a blind date with Muta for tomorrow."

"That's excellent, dear!" the brown half-cat gushed happily. "Or cool, I suppose."

Haru giggled helplessly, since she wasn't expecting the feline woman to adopt modern slang.

ooOoo

Haru's hands stayed over the silver box, as Baron drove her home, not too long after dark. She smiled very softly as she looked at the engraved flowers that decorated her new medicine box, running her fingers over the design on the lid.

"What are you thinking of, love?" the tawny man asked with a soft smile on his lips.

She looked over at him, and smiled warmly. "How lucky I am, I guess."

He grinned at her. "Lucky, eh? How so?"

The slim brunette smiled, and reached over to touch his hand gently. "That I met you. If I hadn't, I'd still be a puppet, and you'd still be by that riverside."

He shuddered, but reached out with one hand to hold one of hers. "You know, 'puppet' might be a little extreme, dear."

"It's the truth, though." She sighed. "I'm sorry about pushing Tsuge away, but… it's time for him to get a life outside of me."

"What about me?" he asked with a sly smile, pulling in front of her house and shutting off the car. "Do I need a life outside of you?"

She laughed, watching him walk around the car. She held her arm out to wrap around his neck, keeping her box, school bag, and crutch in the other arm as he picked her up again. "You're different, Baron. Tsuge's a wannabe brother, and you're my future. Sorry, but there's no competition."

He beamed at her as he walked up the path with her in his arms to the front door, stealing a kiss from her brow before setting her down in front of the door. "That's good to know. Good night, dear."

She beamed back at him, standing on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek, since he was a head taller than her. "Good night, dear."

The last she saw of him, before closing the door, was a rather foolish expression as he reached up with one gloved hand to touch his cheek.

Haru giggled like a little girl as she adjusted her box and schoolbag in one arm, and began her customary trek up the stairs.

Thanks to carrying so many things at the same time, the slim brunette tripped and began falling backward while climbing the stairs. With a cry of surprise on her lips, she dropped the crutch and clung to the rail that ran along the stairs. She held onto her medicine box and schoolbag fiercely, since she didn't want to explain to her mother-in-law how she would already need more medication.

Her heart pounded, and her hands grew a little sweaty, but she did not fall. Breathing a sigh of relief, she stood up, and kept walking. But then she stopped at the top of the stairs, and looked down at her feet in amazement.

Her bare foot was squarely on the ground, with her full weight on it, and she didn't even notice.

"I'm better already?" she whispered in shock. After a few more seconds, she smiled, and walked confidently into her room. "Maybe I should study to be a healer instead. They seem to do a better job, and I wouldn't even have to worry about being on time for class!"

She threw her schoolbag at the purple stuffed animal and gently set the silver box on her desk, touching the lid happily.

Just as she started looking for a towel, the phone began to ring. Thinking that it was her mother, she reached over and picked up the line. "Hi there!" she said cheerfully, landing on her bed in preparation for a long chat.

"Haru, we have to talk," a deep voice said harshly, like his voice was close to giving out.

She immediately stiffened, and her eyes narrowed slightly. "You lost the match, Tsuge. I'm pretty sure that you're breaking your word by calling me."

"I don't care about that. Haru, you've got to stop seeing Baron immediately."

"Because he doesn't have your stamp of approval?" she asked coldly, running one hand over her head in frustration.

"This isn't about my stamp of approval! Don't you think you're going just a little overboard?"

Haru blinked twice. "What do you mean?" she asked slowly.

"Machida," her oldest friend said flatly. "This is all just a ploy to get him to notice you, isn't it?"

"No!" she answered indignantly, standing up from her bed. "What on earth gave you that stupid idea?!"

"Aha!" he said triumphantly, like she had just made his point. "I _knew _there was something! I thought better of you, Haru!"

"This has nothing to do with Machida!" she yelled into the phone as hard as she could. "I'm seeing Baron because I like him, and he likes me!"

"You _couldn't _have forgotten about Machida, just like that!" her friend insisted, like he was on the verge of tears.

"What is wrong with you?!" she demanded, storming around her room angrily. "When I was head over heels for him, you didn't want him anywhere near me, but now that I've moved on, you want me to still be swooning over him? Make up your mind!" she demanded before slapping one hand over her mouth in horror. _'Oops. I didn't mean it like that.'_

Tsuge's breathing became sharper, her order hitting him like a fist to the face. "No. I don't want you to swoon over Machida."

"Then why do you keep bringing him up?" she pressed, hoping that her oldest friend would finally come clean about his actions. She could hear the squeak of a mattress, probably caused by Tsuge throwing himself across his bed.

"Because…" he struggled to say, like every word he spoke under her order was tearing off a limb. "Because… I don't want you to see Baron anymore."

"Why not? Because you want me all to yourself?" she asked in a cold tone.

"Yes."

"Nashito Tsuge, that is the most selfish thing I have ever heard from you," she scolded him as her temper began to rise again. "Don't you want me to have a good relationship with a sweet guy? Don't you want me to be happy?"

"Of course I do!" he shouted into the phone, the mattress squeaking in the background again as he possibly hopped off the bed again. "But… not with Baron."

"Then with who?" she pressed angrily. "All a guy has to do is look my direction, and you despise him! Who do you want me to share my life with, if you scare away anyone that wants to be near me?!"

There was dead silence on the other side of the line.

"I…" he struggled to say, like his tongue alone weighed half as much as he did. "I want you… to…"

"_Spit it out_!" Haru commanded in the most persuasive tone she could manage.

"With me!" Tsuge gasped painfully. "I want you to share your life with _me_!"

She sighed tiredly. "Tsuge, I'm talking about something more intimate than a best-friend relationship. I'm talking about holding hands, sharing hearts, and having kids together. I'm talking about **marriage**."

"That's what I'm talking about, too!" he said quickly, like her order was still making him talk. "I want to hold you, to kiss you, to be with you for the rest of our lives! I want you to have my children, and to be my love forever!"


	16. Betrayal

Merry Christmas!

**Chapter Sixteen: Betrayal**

Haru pulled the phone from her ear, her eyes wide with shock. It was a few minutes later, that she could think of a response to that; Tsuge breathing heavily on the other side of the line as he waited for her to speak.

"Um… I think we have a bad connection, Tsuge. I could have sworn I just heard you-"

"You did," he insisted, still gasping. "I _love _you, Haru! I've loved you since the day I first saw you! From that moment, there was no other for me, only you!"

The slim girl sat on her bed in a stunned shock, as her best guy friend continued to spout the most romantic speech she had ever heard from him.

She couldn't believe it. _Tsuge_?! In love with _her_?!

Suddenly, a thousand hints and clues began to click together. His possessive nature about her, the persistent rumors about them being a couple, all those boys that would suddenly lose interest in her for no reason. He had probably threatened them into leaving her alone. Hiromi… even she had known the truth.

"… I love you so much more that _Baron _ever will! Please," he sobbed into the phone. "Give me a chance, Haru. I can make you happy if you'll just let me."

"Tsuge," the slim girl said with a calm detachment. "How long have we known each other?"

"Eleven years, nine months, and three days," he said promptly.

"Has it really been that long?"

"It's been but an hour in my eyes," he assured her, but she wasn't done yet.

"How is it that in almost twelve years, it takes you this long to tell me that you wanted to be more than friends?" she asked him in a hurt tone.

"What? I should have told you sooner?" he said eagerly.

"Yes. If you had loved me since the day we met, you should have told me before a year had passed, at the most. If you had really loved me, you would have given me some sign that you wanted to be more than friends a long time ago. Why did you wait to tell me how you really felt until after I met a wonderful gentleman?"

By this time, Baron had appeared next to her, all ready for bed. He cocked his head at her in confusion, since she was still in her uniform, and hadn't even taken her shower. Puzzled, he touched her cheek, which was wet with salty tears.

She reached out for the hand, and pressed it against her cheek lingeringly as tears continued to flow. "You know what's really sad, Tsuge? If you had bothered to tell me how you felt years ago when you should have, I just might have gone for it."

Baron's ears pricked upward, and his eyes looked a little scared.

"But you didn't," she sobbed, leaning into her husband's chest. "You waited until I was already with a sweet guy to tell me that you wanted more than what we had. How could you, Tsuge?! How could you have lied to me for all these years?!"

"It's not too late-" he desperately tried to tell her.

"Yes it is! Baron loves me more than you ever will, just for the fact that he has been nothing but honest with me since the moment we met! I need a guy that will tell me the truth about his feelings, and you are obviously not that guy! How do I know you're telling the truth now?!"

"I am!"

"Well, it's too late! You waited too long! Just… go away, Tsuge. I want you to stay away from me," she sobbed, clinging to her husband as he held her, a few tears falling from his face as well for her pain.

"Haru, please-"

Tsuge's plea became cut off as Baron reached over, and took the phone from her in order to shut it off, and whisper unfamiliar words to it.

"There now, dearest. He won't be able to call this place again."

Haru hiccupped her thanks, but wouldn't release her grip on him. "Can you… can you…" she fought to say through her violent gasps.

He kissed her forehead gently. "I can put a protective charm over the house, love. That way, he won't ever be able to approach it. Is that what you were trying to ask?"

She nodded tearfully as he eased her onto her side, and pulled the blankets over them, never mind her attire. He put one hand on her waist, and brushed it caressingly, whispering more words she didn't understand.

Her schoolgirl's uniform seemed to fade from her slim body to be replaced with a silken nightgown of purest white. She quickly put one hand to her chest, but the neckline was properly modest.

"Shh," Baron said softly, kissing her forehead again while holding her close. "You know you have nothing to fear, love. I'll protect you."

'_Who will protect me from you?' _she wondered as fresh tears fell down her face, which she buried against her husband's firm chest.

"Did you remember the medicine?" he suddenly asked, making her flinch against him guiltily. He sighed softly, and reached past her in order to open the silver box on her dresser, and take out a single crystal vial.

"Drink, dear. I want you to be well again."

She nodded as he uncorked the bottle for her, so that she could drink the purple concoction. It was sweet like strawberries, and flowed down her throat like milk, a great improvement over the bile she used to take.

Baron held one hand against her back to steady her as she drank, a sad smile on his lips as he corked the empty vial, and set it back in the box before closing it. He glared at the window, making it open so that Toto could sail in. He did so, circling the room once before landing on her desk chair. The dark bird looked at his weeping mistress with distress, before turning to Baron in confusion.

"Tsuge recently expressed more intimate feelings for Haru than what he had previously told her," the orange and cream cat explained as he eased his wife back onto the bed, and held her close again.

Toto started cawing angrily, throwing his head from side to side.

"Let me guess," Haru sighed in a resigned tone. "You already knew how he felt?"

Toto nodded, still cawing angrily.

She shook her head at herself, feeling like an idiot for missing all the hints. "That does it. Next time you decide to hate someone with a passion, I'll go ahead and let you have at them."

The crow seemed to smile at her, and leaned over from his perch to gently run his beak through her long dark hair.

Baron chuckled, and reached over to gently rub the bird's feathers. "Can I watch?"

"Sure," Haru sighed, cuddling deep into her husband's embrace. "Whatever makes you happy, dear."

He beamed at her, and started crooning softly, rocking her in his arms until she fell asleep at last.

'_Forget it. No one could protect me from you.'_

ooOoo

Tsuge stared at the phone in dismay. "Too late?" he whispered broken-heartedly, dropping the phone onto the ground as his grip loosened on it. He continued to stare at her house across the street, watching the window open so that she could let in that stupid bird of hers.

The bulky youth began to shake his head as a volcanic rage began to coarse through his veins. "Oh no you don't," he snarled, picking up the phone again so that he could start dialing a different number. "_I _am your future, Haru, and I'm prepared to do anything it takes to keep you. It will never be too late for us."

"What is it?" Machida grumbled as he answered the phone on the other side of the line.

"Hey there," Tsuge said in an almost pleasant tone. "What would you say if I could guarantee you Hiromi's heart before graduation?"

A dead silence followed his question.

"How can you promise me Hiromi?" Machida asked in a low dangerous tone. "I thought you hated my guts because of Haru."

"I do, but I want something, and I need your help. If you do as I say, you'll never have to see Baron glaring at you again, and you won't be able to beat Hiromi away from you with a stick."

That immediately changed the darker schoolboy's tune.

"What do you need?"

"You haven't lost your touch for spreading evil rumors, have you?" Tsuge asked, already knowing that he hadn't, even if Machida had to do it anonymously.

ooOoo

Hiromi paced her living room nervously, stealing a look at a small mirror to check her appearance yet again.

No, she looked fine, in a long yellow shirt that flattered the slight trace of red in her light brown hair. A belt was cinched tight around her waist, and she had slim faded blue jeans on underneath to show off her long legs.

"I wish she had said what we were doing," the light brunette muttered to herself as she resumed pacing around her living room, retying the white scarf around her neck.

"Now, Pumpkin," her father chastised her as he drank his morning coffee. "If you keep walking around like that, you'll wear a hole in the carpet."

She sighed, and threw herself into the chair opposite of the older man. "Sorry, Dad. I guess I'm just nervous."

"Just relax, Pumpkin," he answered easily while turning a page of his newspaper. "Haru wouldn't have set you up with a stranger unless she knew that he was a nice guy, right?"

"Right," she admitted, stealing his toast to take a big bite out of it. Her heart was still hurting from Tsuge's blatant refusal of her affections, making her wonder what she thought she was doing. She sighed again, wondering how she had let herself get roped into this.

But then again, she never did pay Haru back for all those times she took over her cleaning duties so that Hiromi could see one of Tsuge's matches. Never mind the fact that he wanted Haru to be there instead of herself.

"Just relax, honey. Go, have fun, and if you don't like the guy, say goodbye," her father advised, lowering his paper just enough to grin at her. "But don't be afraid to give him a chance. After all, you're living proof that blind dates go well every once in a while."

She giggled, remembering the story.

Just then, the doorbell rang. Taking a deep breath for courage, she stood up from the table, kissed her father's cheek, and headed for the door. She bit her lip nervously before opening it.

Hiromi had to tip her head back to see the guy's face, since he was a good two feet taller than her, and perhaps twice as wide. His face _did _seem a little gruff, but she could tell that he was nervous too. He had a thick head of messy brown hair, so unlike his slimmer cousin's, and his eyes seemed a little small for his face.

'… _big!' _was all she could think of to describe him.

"Um, hi there," the giant said while attempting a smile. "Hiromi?"

"Hi there, Muta," the lighter brunette said, her eyes wide with shock as she took in his appearance. Without warning, she started giggling.

"What?" he asked in a low tone, like he thought she was about to make fun of him.

"N-nothing," she giggled, smiling widely. "It's just… you look _exactly_ the way Haru described you."

He cocked her head at her wearily. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

She giggled again, and stepped out of the door while closing it behind her. "That depends on if the rest of what she told me about you is true. So, what's the plan for today?"

He shrugged, pointing a small remote at the large black car parked in front of her house, making the engine roar to life and the doors pop open for them. "I don't know, Chicky. Baron was pretty vague when he was talking about the double date. Frankly, I think he just wanted an excuse to flirt with Haru all day."

Hiromi laughed as she slipped into his car, and shut the door behind her. "Like he isn't getting enough practice."

"You're telling me! I have to watch them pretend not to make eyes at each other every night!"

"What?" she asked, suddenly turning to him. "Every night?"

"Sure," Muta answered casually, driving away from her house and down the road. "Haru's been coming over for dinner every night since she met my cousin. I thought you knew."

"Oh." She blushed deeply, and looked down at her lap. "I thought you meant she stayed the night."

Muta laughed harshly. "Nah. He takes her home every night." He looked over at her nervously, his thumb rubbing against the steering wheel nervously. "Haru says you're a pretty good cook."

Hiromi looked up at him, feeling bold. "She wasn't lying. She said you were a pretty good one, too."

He grinned at her. "What do you say to a cook-off, Chicky?"

A goofy grin took over her face, since no one had ever wanted to do that with her before. "I say full speed ahead!"

He beamed widely at her, and stepped on the gas. "Aye aye, captain!"

Hiromi laughed, and held onto the seat's arm rest and handhold so that she wouldn't be tossed around like a rag doll. _'At least this won't be a boring date.'_

She looked out the window, a little surprised at what she saw after ten minutes of driving. The buildings were already beginning to space out, giving way to a soft carpet of long yellow-green grass that stretched for miles.

"What the… I don't remember seeing this!" she exclaimed with shock, since she had lived in the area for a few years.

"Not too many people go through here," Muta explained quickly, his small eyes nervous. "My family likes its privacy."

"I thought you lived up on that mountain," she said suspiciously.

"That's just one of the family estates. This is the one we live in most of the time. Huh, Baron beat us," the large youth said glumly as he pulled in front of a large manor, where his cousin and the darker brunette were already sitting on the front steps, deep in conversation. Toto was perched demurely on Haru's shoulder, rubbing his head against her hair.

Muta stiffened as he cut the power to the car, and hopped out of it as Hiromi did the same. He stormed up to the two with the lighter brunette following. "What's with the bird?" he asked in a low tone, pointing at the crow with one fat finger.

"You didn't know about Toto?" Hiromi asked in amazement as Haru covered her feathered friend's neck with one hand.

"He was starting to feel left out, so we decided to let him come," the slim brunette explained, giving a stern look to the fatter cousin. "Just for the record, Muta, if you hurt my bird, I'll hurt you."

Muta scoffed. "Yeah, like _you_ could really hurt _me_."

Toto started cawing angrily, hopping off Haru's shoulder to fly at the giant's face. The huge youth stumbled backwards with a yelp, throwing his hands up to bat the persistent bird away.

"Toto! Muta!" Haru said sharply, her gold-tinged eyes glowing in a way Hiromi could not remember seeing before. "You can play, but don't hurt each other!"

The giant raised one fist to slam it into the crow, but something stopped him from throwing it, like her words alone had the power to restrain him. The clueless look that overcame the giant's features said loud and clear that he didn't understand what was holding him back either. The crow also flinched in his flight, and settled onto Hiromi's shoulder while giving the darker brunette a reproachful look.

"Well, if you would just behave, I wouldn't have to… Toto, do you _really _hate Muta?" Haru asked suspiciously.

The crow cocked his head at her and around him, like he was trying to decide how to answer her.

"Do you dislike how Muta assumes Haru can't hurt him?" Baron guessed.

The dark bird nodded his head firmly, cawing darkly at the giant, who was rubbing his head sorely.

"Well, she can't, can she?" he asked Hiromi.

She shrugged as she rubbed Toto's head affectionately, since he was used to her. "I don't know. I've never seen her get angry at someone enough to hurt them."

A single shudder flooded through Haru's body, remembering the one time she had gotten angry enough. Baron looked at her curiously, since he had felt the subtle shudder, but the darker brunette fixed a smile on her lips and stood up from his warm embrace to brush a wrinkle from her long cream skirt.

"So, what are we going to do first?" she asked with false enthusiasm, to help her companions forget about the previous point of conversation. "We could go for a walk around the garden, or play tennis-"

"Cook-off!" Hiromi said enthusiastically, punching one hand into the air.

"Cook-off!" Muta repeated happily, grabbing one of her hands so that he could drag her inside the manor.

Toto fell off Hiromi's shoulder with an angry caw as she started running behind her date, and flew back to Haru's as Baron lead her into the house, arms intertwined.

"We may have created a monster, dear," he said softly to his wife, who giggled while rubbing her head against the crow's.

"Just watch, Baron. It won't be so bad, I promise."

He shook his head while sighing again. "I hope you're right, love. Muta's more sensitive than he looks."

Toto cawed like he was laughing.

"Stop that," Haru scolded him. "You like him better than Tsuge, don't you?"

The dark bird quickly nodded.

"Then hold back on picking fights while we're in the house, okay?"

He cawed at her like he was being sent to bed without supper.

"Toto," she said in a low warning voice.

The bird must have caught the tone, because he immediately straightened and looked to the side in seeming disinterest.

"It still amazes me how in tune you two are," Baron said while shaking his head softly.

Haru smiled, and held his arm a little closer. "You'll get used to it. We better hurry, though. Muta and Hiromi will probably want us to judge their cook-off."


	17. Revelation

**Chapter Seventeen: Revelation**

The sun was setting over the mountain, making shadows pass over the landscape to create a beautiful sight.

Hiromi gazed at the sunset contentedly, easing her head against the huge man's shoulder, making him stiffen noticeably from nerves. "You sure are lucky, Muta," she whispered.

"Why's that, Chicky?" he asked, even as he rubbed one large hand behind his head in a bashful manner.

"That you get to see this every day. You can't see anything like this back in the city."

He stared at her, and smiled a little shyly. "Would you like to see it tomorrow?"

The lighter brunette, who looked so tiny next to the young man's bulk, glanced up at his face beaming. "Can I?"

Haru grinned in satisfaction from her place next to Baron, a respectful ten feet away. _'I knew it!'_

"That was very unnerving, love," Baron said in a strange tone, his arms still wrapped around her like a comforting blanket.

Toto was long gone, exploring the new dimension that was before him, and there was no sign of the crow's return yet.

She looked at him curiously. "What? Can't your cousin fall for a girl?"

"No, he's fine. I was talking about what you were doing."

Her heart began to pound unsteadily. "What do you mean?" she asked casually, trying to hide her nerves.

Her husband narrowed his eyes slightly at her, and continued to speak in that soft tone, to keep the conversation between him and his bride. "You were mouthing every word they spoke, as they spoke it. It was like you already knew exactly what they were going to say to each other."

"That's ridiculous-" she tried to protest in the same soft tone, but he held a finger up to her lips.

"Haru," he said firmly. "You are a terrible liar, at least to me. How did you know what they were going to say?"

She nibbled her lower lip nervously, and looked down at her lap.

"Dear?" he asked insistently.

The slim brunette wrung her hands a little before sighing in defeat. "I… well, you'd have probably found out about this sooner or later, anyway."

"What is it?" he asked with concern.

She took a deep breath, and turned in his lap to face him. "This is going to sound very weird, but bear with me. I… I almost never have dreams or nightmares. But the few times that I do, I know that they're one of two things; something that has already happened, or something that will happen in the near future. They've been both, a few times."

Baron's eyes widened with astonishment, his mouth falling open incredulously. "You're kidding," he whispered.

She shook her head. "The night you had the nightmare, I dreamed that Muta and Hiromi would have that conversation, which is why I asked you to help me set them up the next morning. I also dreamed about almost drowning in the river the night I met you, but I couldn't see anything because it was so dark. If you don't believe me, you can ask Hiromi about it. She knew about the dream before we got off the bus and into the manor." She laughed a little. "I had forgotten all about it, because I almost stopped having the dreams entirely after I got sick."

"Let me get this straight," Baron said slowly, his eyes strangely filling with fear. "Your eyes are originally gold in color, your dreams reach into the past or the future, and when you decide to give an order, the one receiving it has no choice but to obey you, even at the cost of his or her life?"

Haru's heart turned into a block of ice, and she looked away from him guiltily. "Sounds crazy, doesn't it?" she asked while giggling nervously, hoping that he wouldn't press that 'at the cost of a life' part.

He didn't answer her. Instead, he stood up, keeping her between his arms as he started climbing the hill up to the manor.

"Something up, Baron?" Muta called up to them, turning from his contemplation of Hiromi's fair face.

"Yes," the tawny man said with an uncharacteristic abruptness, glaring at the kitchen door so that it would open at his approach.

"Baron?" Haru asked timidly, her arms still wrapped around his neck.

Her husband kissed her cheek once, but didn't say anything as he kept walking at that brisk pace down two hallways. He glared at a large door, which quickly opened wide to admit him and his bride.

Haru whistled appreciatively, looking around the extensive library as Baron set her onto a comfy couch. "Wow, honey! I wish you had shown me this sooner!"

He nodded at her before hopping onto a ladder with wheels so that he could coast past the books. His eyes narrowed, searching for something among the leather-bound books.

"Baron, you're scaring me," Haru said as she watched him wheel around the room in his search.

"My apologies, dear," he said as his hand suddenly shot out, and snatched a thick red leather book from its resting place. He slid down the ladder, opening the book so that he could flip through the pages, walking slowly back to the couch. The tawny man sat next to his bride, still searching through the pages.

Haru leaned over to see what he was searching for.

As far as she could tell, it was an ancient encyclopedia. Amid the spidery text were breath-taking illustrations of unicorns, vampires, and smaller wrinkled creatures she didn't recognize, as the pages flew underneath Baron's hand.

Finally, he stopped flipping through the thick pages, and wrapped one arm around her shoulders to draw her close, letting her read what was before him.

On the left page was an illustration of a woman, wrapped in a bulky traveling cloak of the softest grey and leaning on a tall staff for balance. The top of the staff had a small dove, which was looking at the woman in an adoring manner. Her face was travel-weary, but determined. Her golden eyes seemed too old for her face, like she had witnessed a thousand lifetimes of sorrow, but could still find something to hope for. Although the woman didn't look exactly like Haru or her mother, she still seemed very familiar, like a close relative the slim brunette didn't know she had.

Curiously, she turned to the text.

_The Seers' Line_

_In the time of ancient Greece, there was a child born to King Priam and Queen Hecuba of Troy. She was named Cassandra, and from the day of her birth, she was troubled by visions of past and future tragedies. Despite being proven right time and again, she was considered to be a madwoman, and was never paid attention to. In time, her brother Paris engaged war between Sparta and Troy, due to his abduction of Sparta's queen, Helen the Fair. When the enchanting queen was first taken to the city, Cassandra warned one and all that Helen would bring about the destruction of the mighty city, but no one paid heed._

_In time, as all know, she was proven right, for Troy did fall (see page 439) under the combined siege of the other Greek kings. Cassandra herself was taken as a war prize by King Agamemnon to be his mistress, conceiving twin boys by him, despite her deep hatred for the king._

_Although there are several accounts of Cassandra and her sons being killed by Agamemnon's queen, Clytemnestra, there has been substantial evidence to the contrary. Ever since that time, cloaked figures have appeared to leaders on all scales, or even random peasants, to warn them of an eminent danger. These seers, usually women, have professed to be of the lineage of Cassandra, cursed by visions of past and future. Although it is impossible to tell if all born into the line carry the curse, what is known is the fact that true seers all have Cassandra's golden eyes that can expose the true nature of any soul. They are also traditionally accompanied by a familiar, most commonly a bird or a cat, which is blessed with superior intelligence for serving the seer. For this reason, seers can be easily mistaken for witches._

_Depending on the strength of the seer, they can be easy to ignore, such as Cassandra, or easy to obey. There have been only three recorded seers since the time of the Trojan princess that were so powerful, they could force people to obey their orders by smothering the victims' willpower with the seer's own. As such, the line of seers is widely coveted by rulers and those with ambition, for any one that wins the allegiance of a seer would become invincible._

_Thanks to this fact, it is almost impossible to find a seer unless the seer wishes to be found, leading many to believe that the line is nothing more than an intriguing myth._

The documentary included a list of 'seer sightings', but Haru couldn't read them. She leaned back into Baron's arms, her breathing sharp and irregular.

"This is it, isn't it, dear?" he asked her softly as he placed a bookmark in the pages to mark it, and set the book aside so that he could cradle her in his arms.

"A seer?" she whispered almost inaudibly, pressing her face against the stiff cotton of his shirt. "I'm a seer?"

"The symptoms match, don't they?" he asked her gently, cradling her in his arms protectively while stroking her soft hair with one hand.

"… yes. All of it."

"Which side do you think it's from, dear?" he asked curiously. "Your father's?"

She laughed harshly, rubbing her cheek against his chest. "No. If he had this… _curse_, I can flat out guarantee you I wouldn't have been born."

He looked down at her sharply, but she wouldn't look him in the eye.

"I'm betting it's from Mom's side," the brunette said softly, squeezing her husband. "She said that Grandma had a way of knowing the truth of things. I never got to meet her."

"Why not? Did she die?"

"Not until I was four. Mom just never forgave her for…" Haru trailed off, unable to look her husband in the eye. She stared at the polished buttons of his shirt and vest instead, wishing she could have bricked her mouth shut before saying that last part.

"For what?" he asked curiously, but she worked herself loose from his arms, and stood up quickly.

"Hey, we should check on Hiromi and Muta!" she said with false enthusiasm, making a run for the door.

Baron caught her arm before she reached it, and twirled her around to make her face him, locking the girl in his embrace. "You're not distracting me _that _easily, love," he said in a low serious tone. "What is it your mother never forgave your grandmother for?"

"Nothing, forget I mentioned it-" she said quickly, but he placed one finger over her lips.

"Does it have to do with your father?" he asked, his glowing green eyes saying louder than his voice that he wasn't going to let the subject drop.

Haru looked down at his shirt buttons again. "… yes," she mumbled softly. "Please, Baron, I really don't want to talk about it."

"Maybe you need to. Darling, please. I just want to help you."

Her head hung lower. "You'll hate me if I tell," she whispered, a single tear sliding down her cheek.

His gentle hand rubbed the tear away, and touched her chin just enough to guide her face to meet his. "Haru, there is _nothing _that can make me hate you. Just trust me. I won't let you down."

She leaned into his chest, _wanting _with all her heart to believe him. "Promise?" she asked in a little girl voice.

"I promise," he assured her, picking her up and taking her back to the couch. He sat down, keeping her on his lap and cuddling her like a child holding a toy. "Now, what is so awful about your father that you refuse to talk about him?"

Haru bit her lip, and took a deep breath for courage. "When… my mom was my age, she got attacked by a boy in her class. He was caught by the teachers, but it was too late. Nine months later, I was born."

Baron inhaled sharply.

"Mom wanted to abort me, but Grandma wouldn't let her," Haru continued, knowing that if she stopped, she might not be able to finish. "Grandma said that I was the only child she would ever get, and that I needed to be born. She also said that I would save Mom's life one day. Well, as you can tell, Mom kept me, but she moved out as soon as she could, since she blamed her mom for the fact that I existed, for not warning her about the danger. The boy was sent to prison, and his parents offered to adopt me to help ease their guilt and Mom's burden. They raised _him_ right, but _he_ was just a bad person. Mom decided no in the end, and just accepted money and babysitting from them so that she could finish college and fulfill her dream of being the top of the quilting community. She's at the top right now, but she isn't _the _top, yet. I don't have a lot of memories of my grandparents, since they died when I was two. They left all their assets to Mom and me, because they didn't want to leave _him _anything, after what _he_ did.

"Mom never told me any of this, though. A few months before I got sick, I had a dream, telling me everything she had been through, because of me. Because of _him_," she said savagely, her fists holding firmly onto her husband's shirt. "Near the end, the dream changed. I saw _him_, looking older than the first time, attacking her again, the way she looked at the time. I woke up, and ran to her room. But before I knocked on the door, I heard her on the phone. It was the police, warning her that _he _had escaped from prison. When she came out to tell me to get dressed quickly, she was wearing the same outfit from my dream, so I knew it was going to happen that day."

She swallowed hard, wishing she didn't have to tell her husband about her sin. "We tried to run for it, but he found us. He ran at Mom. She tried to push me behind her, but I wouldn't let her, because I knew he was going to do it to her again, and slit her throat and mine when he was done. I came between them, and locked his eyes with mine. I looked straight into his soul, Baron," she gagged, holding onto him tighter. "It was the most disgusting, evil thing I had ever seen, even to now. Well, I overpowered his will, just like the book said. I told him that he had hurt my mother enough, and that he was never going to hurt anyone again."

Haru looked away from him, tears falling down her face. "He had chased us to the top of a cliff, next to the ocean, so I _ordered _him to jump off it. He was happy to do it, just to get away from me. He was terrified of a six-year-old girl, the result of his own sin. The police went over the area later, and there weren't any signs of a struggle. They bought Mom's story that it was a suicide."

Her body began to tremble against his, even as he held her close.

Baron nuzzled her soft hair comfortingly, his wife's pain being his own. "Oh, honey," he whispered, kissing her face almost fiercely.

"It was weeks before Mom could look at me without fear, and a few more before she could say thanks for saving her this time. Do you know what it feels like, to have your own mother terrified of you?" She started crying uncontrollably into his shirt, allowing herself for the first time to grieve for everything her 'father' had taken from her and her mother, including the innocence she had lost by looking into his soul.

Baron said nothing for the longest time, just holding her in his arms, and kissing her hair and face. Haru clung to him desperately, wondering just how she had ever managed without him.

He caressed her hair gently, and kissed her forehead once the storm of tears had passed. "Haru, if I had been in that position, I'd have killed him, too. You did nothing wrong."

"Then why do I feel so guilty?" she whispered between her sobs.

"Because you're a better person than him, and it _was _a life, even if he didn't deserve it."

She hiccupped once, still holding onto him like he was the last thing she had left to cling to. After a few moments, a light ironic laugh managed to work its way past her delicate mouth. "Is it just me, or do I cry on you an awful lot?" she managed to giggle through her tears.

"I don't mind, love," he assured her, kissing her hair yet again. "I consider it a privilege that you trust me enough to hold onto when you need someone. I just wish I could have been here for you sooner."

Haru rubbed her face against him, feeling guilty over a truth she didn't want to admit out loud. "You… you deserve someone… better," she whispered against his tear-soaked shirt.

"Put that thought out of your mind," he said sharply, placing two fingers under her chin to guide her face up to meet his. He looked at her the longest time, like he was debating precisely what to say to her.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you, Haru?" he asked softly, his own eyes filled with tears.

Haru looked into them, not quite sure what he was about to say.

"There is _nothing _better than the best. Don't _ever_ let anyone tell you differently," he whispered before claiming her lips with his own, forever rocking her in his arms comfortingly.

Haru sighed happily, returning the kiss with all her heart, even if it was fluttering in her chest like a butterfly. _'I never thought I'd say this, but… I must be the luckiest girl in the world!'_


	18. Perfidy

**Chapter Eighteen: Perfidy**

Louise stared at her only son, as he paced the library. "A _seer_?" she asked in disbelief.

"It all matches, Mother. Even Haru said so, and I haven't told her everything about that 'medicine' and her ridiculous old feelings for Machida yet."

"Maybe you should then," Rebecca said seriously as she made her threaded needle dance through the cloth that was held in place by an embroidery hoop. "If she understands that the Nashito family are not who they appear to be, then she can be on her guard."

An ironic smile played over his lips. "She's already on guard, Aunt Rebecca. Tsuge confessed to having a long-time love for her last night. Haru has a few emotional problems with people that choose to hide the truth from her, so she never wants to see him again."

"Then you'd best tell her the whole truth, son. Right now," Louise said seriously, touching his arm as he passed her again. "Make it painfully obvious that you were doing what was best for her."

The tawny cat sighed. "I'd love to, but I want to have her speak with her mother first. She _had _to have known what that woman was doing to poor Haru."

"Speaking of which, you'd better go to her now. She's probably wondering what's keeping you."

Baron nodded at his aunt, and kissed both women good night on the cheek.

"Do be a dear, and thank her for setting up Renaldo with Hiromi for me," the dark brown cat said with a wink. "I haven't seen him in this good of a mood since you two were kittens."

"I will," he promised as he faded out of the library, and into Haru's bed, once again in pajamas. "Apologies for being late, dear," he said softly while wrapping his wife into his arms, her back toward him, since she had apparently been in deep conversation with Toto, who was perched on her chair as usual.

"Hm?" Haru asked distractedly, turning in order to look at him. "Oh, it's okay. I was just thinking."

"About what?" he purred, rubbing his face into her sweet-smelling hair.

"About that medicine I used to take."

He froze as she wiggled around the bed in order to face him, her gold-tinged eyes sad and hurt.

"You know a lot more than I do about potions, right?"

"I believe so."

She took a deep breath. "Is there a potion that can bind a seer's power?"

Now that Haru was facing him, Baron could clearly see the crow nod frantically.

He smiled sadly, guessing that Toto had known the truth about his human friend for years. "Not specifically a seer's, but there _is _one that can bind a person's supernatural abilities. It's useful for when one is growing up and learning to control their power, but it can be fatal if taken longer than is needful."

His bride bit her lip nervously. "How… hard would it… I mean, statistically speaking, what are the chances that the potion can be made on accident? Even once?"

"Roughly three million, forty-eight thousand, eight hundred and fifty-six to one," Baron answered truthfully. "It would be inconceivable for the same person to accidentally make it even twice in a lifetime."

Haru turned her face down to stare at his chest, and wrapped her arms around him for a comforting hug. "That would almost have to mean that Mrs. Nashito knew what she was doing to me, wouldn't it?"

"It's a fair guess," he said carefully, watching Toto frantically nod his head again. His blood boiled, thinking about all the years Haru had been sick over that woman's greed. Oh, the things he could have done if his wife hadn't already punished her…

"It's more than a guess, Baron. You should have seen the look on her face when I told her I knew the truth. She was terrified of me, of what I _could _be. I guess I'm trying to ask, do you think she knows I'm a seer?"

Baron took a deep breath. "Even if she doesn't, I think it would be best to act like she did. Perhaps even Tsuge."

Haru growled under her breath. "Well, if he actually keeps his word, he won't even be an issue. Are you going to just take me home for good after graduation?"

A happy grin danced across his feline features. "Would there be any objections?" he teased.

"Not if you let me take Toto and visit my mom every once in a- MOM!" Haru suddenly shouted, shooting straight up in bed. "She had to have known what was going on!"

"Now dear," Baron said worriedly, although he privately agreed with her. "Please try talking to her before you do something drastic."

"Oh I will," Haru said in an ominous tone as she reached for her bedside phone and began punching numbers.

But then she stopped, and set the phone back in its cradle before completing the call. "No, not yet. I think after all this time; she deserves to say it to my face, wouldn't you?"

"I take it you didn't tell her about what you learned today," Baron said dryly, reaching over to tap the silver box's cover, in case she forgot to take the medicine his mother had made for her. Toto cawed, also pecking at the box while looking at the human girl reproachfully.

She flinched slightly, and opened the box in order to take out another crystal vial, affirming his suspicions. "I just told her we had a fun double date, and we were going to do it again tomorrow. She didn't seem all that pleased, but she didn't try to talk me out of it. I'm a little shocked that she didn't mention Ryuko calling her to apologize yet, though."

"Did you order her to?" Baron asked as he watched her drink the antidote. "Apologize, I mean?"

"You bet I did. Maybe Mom wants to thank me in person." She sighed again as she set the vial back into the silver container, and snuggled into her husband's arms. "I don't know. I just wish she could hurry home so that we can have a nice long talk. We owe each other some explanations, I think."

"I think you're right," the tall feline said while wrapping her up in his arms again, flicking one finger to make the lights go out. "Try to rest, dear. Tomorrow's another day, and you'll need your strength."

ooOoo

Monday came a little too soon, as far as Haru was concerned. The weekend had been very relaxing, since she had spent it almost entirely with Hiromi and Baron's family, so she was unprepared for the chilly atmosphere inside the school, which was so unlike the fun, slightly chaotic, feeling that had been present on Friday.

She could sense the change as soon as she and Baron walked through the front gate, their arms intertwined lovingly, now that her leg had healed.

For one, the students didn't part before them again. Haru didn't mind that, and she was certain that Baron didn't either, but she had a bad feeling about the hostile looks that her classmates were giving her and her husband. They bent their heads together, and whispered loudly, but there were so many people whispering, that she could not pick out a phrase from their chatter.

"Don't pay attention to them," Baron said softly, covering her hand with his own to get her attention. "Whatever it is that they're assuming, we'll be happier if we don't know what it is."

"Except why?" she asked just as softly, as he opened up the door to her classroom. "What could have changed over the weekend?"

"You would be surprised, love," he answered grimly as he walked around the chillingly silent classroom, and helped her into her seat by the window. "Just remember that they don't know everything, and I love you."

Haru turned to look at him with shock, but he just kissed her cheek again, and moved past the students to take his place in the back of the class. She watched him go, one hand against her cheek, which was flaming red. _'He loves me?'_

"So, Haru," Hidako said in a snotty voice as she threw herself into the seat behind the dark brunette. "How are things between you and Baron?"

"Never better," she answered as she fished her notebook and pen out of the schoolbag. "Anything fun happen over the weekend?"

The light redhead laughed ironically. "Isn't that a coincidence? I was about to ask you the same thing."

"Shouldn't be a shock. It _is _Monday, after all."

The day her mother would finally return, and meet her husband. She was glad that she didn't have detention again, because she would need the time to cook up a nice meal to set a good tone.

Hidako blinked, like she wasn't expecting that comeback, but then sneered again. "Just how… _cozy _are you with him?"

"That's none of your business," Haru said curtly, opening her notebook and wishing that the teacher would start up class soon.

But no such luck. He was still writing the day's agenda on the chalkboard, completely oblivious to what was happening behind him.

A raven-haired girl smirked at her as she took the seat right in front of the dark brunette. "So tell me, Haru; how good was it?"

"How good was what?" she asked in confusion.

The raven girl sneered. "Oh, come on, Haru. Everyone knows that you're sleeping with him."

What little chatter that had been in the room immediately died, including the few schoolboys that were trying to interrogate her husband.

Very slowly, Haru stood up, and locked her eyes with the darker girl that had made the accusation.

Sure, she was _technically _right, but she knew how the offensive schoolgirl had meant it.

She allowed her growing anger to flow out from her eyes, and smother the girl's willpower with her own. Her blue eyes widened with shock, since she hadn't counted on Haru losing her temper, and she had _never _seen that look before.

Neither did the other students, if their soft gasps were of any indication.

Haru leaned down to put her face within ten inches of the other girl's, to be sure that there would be no mistakes. The emerging gold in her eyes swirled around magically, hypnotizing any that dared to look into them. "How dare you, Luki?" she asked softly, letting the aura of her anger wash over the girl. "Baron has never been anything less of a gentleman to me, and you don't even know anything about him. On top of that, you should know that _I _wouldn't do such a thing. I strongly advise you to find a more productive hobby than spreading lies."

Now that Luki was trembling in her seat, Haru straightened, and made sure to touch the mind of each and every student staring at her, since she was certain that the rumors had passed through all of them.

Tsuge wisely turned away from her gaze, knowing what she was capable of.

"If any of you are going to spread stories about me and Baron, be sure to spread the one where I take a cheese grater to anybody that tries to come between me and him. Now back off, and get a life!" she commanded them, hoping that the order would last at least until graduation.

Just then, Hiromi opened the door, and stepped in with a happy grin. "Goodmorning, everybody," she chirruped obliviously as she skipped through the desks, and waved at Baron while walking past him. She stepped over to her desk, where Luki was still trembling like a frightened kitten that was just pulled out of a river. "Hey, can I have my seat back?" the lighter brunette asked politely.

The raven-haired girl pounced out of her chair with a terrified cry and ran back to her seat at the other end of the classroom.

Hiromi quirked an eyebrow, and glanced at her best friend, who was settling into her seat again. "Was it something I said?" she asked with a teasing grin.

The darker brunette smiled grimly as the teacher finally turned around to start the school day. "Actually, it was something _I _said. Don't worry about it."

The lighter brunette giggled dreamily. "Muta asked me out again tonight. We're going to go bowling; did you want to come with Baron?"

"Not tonight," she whispered, looking towards the front of the classroom. "Mom's coming back, remember?"

"Oh, right," Hiromi giggled, squeezing her shoulder once. "Good luck."

"Thanks," Haru said gratefully as the teacher began the morning announcements. _'I think I'll need it.'_

"All right, now that we're done with the announcements, I have a bit of a treat for you before we start the next final," the teacher said with a grin, pulling out a dusty old book from behind his desk. "While I was cleaning out my attic over the weekend, I found my old favorite book from when I was in high school. It's a compilation of old world myths about how and why certain things work the way they do." He began flipping through the first few pages excitedly. "Like this one, on why we have seasons instead of endless summer."

Haru's heart began to beat faster, knowing which one he was about to read.

"This version of Hades and Persephone is actually more of a love story than the usual version, so I'm going to go ahead and read it to you. _Once, a long time ago, there lived a king in the underworld. For countless years, all he knew was cold death and loneliness, for what else could there be under the hard, unfeeling earth?_"

Haru couldn't resist turning around in her chair to sneak a glare at her husband, who looked surprised as well. Baron held up his hands in defense, although a silly grin lit up his face.

She couldn't resist smiling back at him, turning around in her seat to hear about the goddess's lovely daughter that unwittingly stirred the king of death's lonely heart.

ooOoo

Haru didn't like the fact that everyone was still staring mutely at her, hours after she had given them the order, so she got another hall pass from the teacher excusing both her and Baron for lunch.

Her husband was still chuckling by the time they reached the music room, closing the door behind him.

"It's not that funny," she informed him, sitting on a piano bench so that she could open up the bento box she had prepared for them.

"Oh, I don't know," Baron said drily as he sat down next to her, and accepted the bowl full of salad. "I think it's kind of ironic. Out of all the stories your sensei could have read to us…"

"That was sheer coincidence," she protested, splitting the tea between the two cups. "Besides, it's not like that. I mean, you didn't _want _to carry me off."

"At first," he corrected with a roguish grin. "I wouldn't mind doing it right now, personally."

She blushed, and punched his arm playfully before eating her salad. "But you promised I could finish high school before doing that again."

"True," he sighed regretfully. "Too true." He looked at her from the corner of his eye as she ate her lunch, a wicked plan forming in his mind. Grinning again, he quickly ate his lunch so that he could put his plan into action.

Just as his wife was finishing the last of her tea, he set the remains of the bento box aside, and gently took her by the hand.

"What is it?" she asked, as he led her off of the piano bench, and guided her to the center of the room, which was originally intended for the teacher to stand in while conducting the student orchestra.

He smiled deceptively, and placed one of her hands on his shoulder while clasping the other one in his own hand, placing his remaining one on her waist. "You once mentioned that you're a terrible dancer. If it wouldn't be an inconvenience, I should like to remedy that."

"Uh, Baron," she stammered, but he kissed one cheek to silence her.

"Please?" he asked in that soft voice that made her want to melt into a puddle at his feet.

She sighed, and leaned against him slightly. "Oh, all right."

He beamed at her, and began humming an unfamiliar tune as he began circling with her around the middle of the room.

Haru had difficulty keeping up with him at first, but then her feet began to find the rhythm that his were set to. Almost like magic, at least in her eyes, she began to understand through his subtle gestures just what he wanted her to do with the rest of her body.

"Just like I told you, love," he whispered softly into her ear, holding her just a little closer than he really needed to. "The people out there don't know anything about us. It's best to ignore them when they try to spread lies."

She nodded, kissing his cheek tenderly. _'I wonder why I used to think their opinions mattered so much.'_

It was one of the most beautiful things she had ever felt; to dance, and to be able to dance in her husband's arms. She smiled happily after he finished twirling her around, and rested her head just over his heart.

'_Romantic version or not, I've still got it better than Persephone.'_


	19. Enlightenment

**Chapter Nineteen: Enlightenment**

Haru carefully sprinkled the crumbly crust over the vegetarian lasagna, and checked it from all angles to be sure that the pan was equally covered. Satisfied that it was perfect, she set it inside the oven to bake, and turned her attention to the raw vegetables waiting to be cut into a fresh salad.

Toto watched her move from task to task in the kitchen from his perch on one of the chairs, his smile content.

"I'm still a bit nervous," she confessed to him as she carefully cut a head of lettuce before throwing the thin green strips into a large bowl. "I mean, do you think she'll like him?"

The crow shrugged one of his shoulders, and held one wing out to the side, quivering it slightly to say it was a half-and-half chance.

Haru sighed, and started on the tomatoes. "I hope she does." She paused long enough in her labor to fish around in one of the bags lying across the counter to toss a mulberry at her feathered friend, who expertly caught it with his beak. She giggled at their old game, and continued to pray within her heart that all would be well.

Baron had desperately wanted to help her make the dinner, but Haru knew that her mother would throw a fit if she found out that her daughter had been alone in the house with who she thought was merely a boyfriend. Her mother knew what her cooking tasted like, so she had to do it by herself.

For the eighth time since making it, Haru peeked into the fridge, to be sure that that her special raspberry cheesecake was still within. If anything could put her mother in a good mood, it was homemade cheesecake.

Suddenly, she heard an unfamiliar car park outside the house, more than likely her mother's taxi.

Sure enough, the car drove away soon after parking, and there was a banging on the door.

"Haru?!" her mother cried out.

"Coming!" Haru shouted back, brushing her slightly wet hands across the apron she had tied over her subtle yellow batik dress as she quickly let Toto out a window and walked across the now spotless living room. She unlocked the door while her mother was still struggling with the keys to find the one to the front door.

The middle-aged redhead looked up from her key ring with surprise as Haru pecked her cheek lovingly and grabbed the large duffel bag at her feet.

"Nice to see you home, Mom! Did you enjoy your trip?"

"H-haru! I thought you told me that you twisted your ankle last week!"

"I did," the slim brunette said easily while taking her mother's bag to her room on the opposite side of the stairs. "But whatever Baron's mother did to treat it worked even better than another trip to the doctors!"

Naoko stared at her daughter as she slowly came into the house, and locked the door behind her. "Oh. Why are you dressed like that, sweetheart?"

Haru looked at her mother with confusion after dropping off her mother's luggage. "Did you forget, Mom? Baron's coming over for dinner so that you can meet him."

The redhead's shoulders sagged a bit as she collapsed onto the couch. "I was hoping you had forgotten about that," she muttered under her breath.

The brunette looked at her sharply, and sighed while walking over to her. She got down on her knees, and held onto her mother's hands tightly, just like Baron had done with her when they had first truly met. Her mother twitched violently, since this was something that Haru had never done before.

"Mom," she said seriously. "This guy means the world to me. Please give him a fair chance. He's a wonderful gentleman, and he's been such a sweetheart to me. He deserves a chance."

Naoko looked at her daughter, a little shocked by the emotion in her eyes. Then her own brown eyes widened, noticing the intense gold that swirled around inside her daughter's, the brown becoming the understated color. "What's happened to you?" she whispered, knowing that the gold could only mean one thing.

Haru smiled happily, and kissed her mother's cheek. "I fell in love for real, Mom. If I had known that _this _is what love felt like, I never would have given Machida a second glance. Could you please shower and put on something nice? Baron said he'd come at six, and he's very punctual."

"Sure," her mother said numbly, making her daughter smile encouragingly, and get to her feet again to finish making dinner.

ooOoo

Naoko paced her living room an hour later, now in a dark blue dress that she usually used for conventions only, since it had the slightly official look that she hoped would intimidate the boy that had stolen her daughter's heart. She glanced at the brunette, who was setting the table with a slightly silly smile on her face, an ache in her heart.

Her daughter _did _look happier than she had seen her in a long time, and her cheeks were slightly flushed with a healthy pink, as though her association with the mysterious Baron was giving her health.

Naoko sighed sadly. Under different circumstances, she would be thrilled to see her little girl so happy… but circumstances weren't different. Her orders were clear, although she wished with all her heart that she didn't have to obey.

But to protect her daughter, she would.

Haru glanced at the clock as she set the freshly cut garlic bread on the table, and undid the apron tied from around her slender waist. "That's it. He'll be here any second," she announced confidently, moving to the door like her boyfriend was already there.

"Honey, I can't believe anyone could be that punctual-"

Her protest was cut off by the polite knocking on the door.

Haru said nothing, but grinned confidently at her mother while opening the door. "Hello- Baron! I thought I said not to bring anything!"

"Actually," a deep aristocratic voice said with amusement. "You merely said that I couldn't bring any food."

"Baron, I didn't bring anything all the times I had dinner with you!" she protested as Naoko walked around the wall separating her from the front entryway.

What she saw made her jaw drop.

She wasn't quite sure what to expect Baron to be like, but she most certainly wasn't expecting the golden-haired man on the other side of the doorframe. His features were perfect, like a lifetime's work of an ancient marble statue. His posture was straight and proud like a soldier, and he was dressed rather formally in a blood red button-up shirt, and light grey pants that matched the light grey jacket he had thrown over the shirt, half-making the woman think that he had forgotten a bow tie. In one hand was a gorgeous bouquet of freshly cut flowers, with white and red blossoms of all kinds artistically arranged within a white handkerchief.

"True, but I thought this was a special occasion," the golden man explained with an easy smile before turning his green gaze to Naoko.

She stiffened, but then the man smiled warmly.

"Haru dear?" he prodded as he handed her the flowers.

"Hmm?" the brunette asked, like she was distracted by the scent of his offering, since she was burying her face in between the sweet blossoms, despite her earlier protests.

He laughed at her softly, and reached out to gently turn her enough to look at her mother.

Haru looked at her mother for a second, her smile easy and relaxed. Then her face focused in on what her boyfriend was trying to tell her, making her cheeks flush with embarrassment. "Oops," she giggled like a little girl, twirling one arm around so that it was wrapped around the golden youth's. "Mom, this is Baron Gikkingen, the guy I've been telling you about. Baron, that's my mom, Yoshioka Naoko."

The tawny man smiled warmly, and bowed respectfully to the middle-aged woman. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Madam. I've been looking forward to this since I met your charming daughter."

Naoko wasn't quite sure how to respond to that. Desperately, she looked for some flaw, any flaw that she could use against him. But, the only possible thing that she could pick at was his height, which was a full head more than her daughter's. She knew that if she brought up such a thing, Haru would merely start wearing high heels, and get into more accidents.

'_How am I going to do this?!' _she groaned inwardly as she smiled tightly. "Nice to meet you, Baron. Why don't we step inside?"

"Excellent idea," he answered, a troubled tilt of the mouth saying that he could sense her dismay, but couldn't understand it.

"I better put these in water," Haru said cheerfully, carrying the beautiful bouquet into the kitchen area so that she could start looking for a vase to put them in.

Baron shrugged off his jacket and set it on one of the hangers inside the closet at the door, neatly slipping out of his shoes to set them precisely by the two pairs of shoes that were at the edge of the doorway.

"Why don't we sit down for a while?" Naoko said stiffly, sitting down on her couch. "Please, tell me about yourself, Baron."

He smiled again, and walked around the couch in order to sit as she suggested. "Well, what would you like to know, Madam?"

"Like, your age? What do you do for a living, or when you're not around my daughter?"

He hummed a little, sneaking a strangely amused look at her daughter. "Would you believe I'm one hundred and forty-six years old?"

"Oh, ha ha, Baron," Haru said sarcastically, giving him a firm look.

The tawny man held his hands up in defense, laughing a little. "All right, dear. Well, Madam, I'm twenty, and I control various plots of land around the world. I manage them, and occasionally invest in stock that I believe will go far. I entertain myself by going around the globe, and fixing problems as they are presented to me. I'm afraid I can't keep my nose out of other people's business to save my life. Can I, dear?" he asked the brunette over one shoulder, smiling foolishly.

"Not a chance," she said cheerfully, setting a steaming lasagna pan on the table. "It's partially why I'm crazy about you. Dinner's ready whenever you two are."

Baron nodded, and stood up while holding one hand to Naoko, in case she needed help.

But she refused it, standing up on her own while walking around the couch to the kitchen table, deep in thought. _'Handsome, rich, powerful, and compassionate. Drat it, doesn't he have a single flaw?!'_

Haru looked at her curiously as her mother sat down at the table, before Baron could help her into her chair. But Haru waited for him, touching his hand gently before he took his place at the table, between the two women. He smiled at her again, but he still looked troubled as his girlfriend began dishing out the vegetarian lasagna.

"This looks wonderful, love," Baron said as he passed around the small plate of garlic bread.

"Just wait till you see what's for dessert," she teased the tall man while pouring water into each of their glasses, sneaking a kiss from his cheek and making him smile with pleasure.

Naoko listened to them flirt with each other as she numbly picked at her food, barely even tasting the meal that her daughter had put so much effort into. She answered questions as they asked her, but her heart wasn't in it.

This couldn't be true. She couldn't find a single thing wrong with this young man. She was _doomed_ unless she could find some way to break up this couple. But to do so would surely break her heart, as well as her daughter's.

Finally, when her piece of raspberry cheesecake was half-eaten, Haru set her fork down, and looked at her mother from across the table. "Mom," she said in a dead serious tone.

Naoko's heart skipped a beat, remembering that tone. "Yes?" she asked, almost like the slim brunette was _her_ mother, and she knew she was in trouble.

"I know you don't like Baron, but can you explain why?"

"That's silly, I like him just fine!"

"Your body language tells another story, Madam," the tawny man said with a soft sigh.

The redheaded woman bit her lip. This was the chance she was waiting for, so why couldn't she use it and speak up?

"Don't make me _order _you to say what's wrong, Mom," Haru said in that same serious tone, her eyes already beginning to glow warningly.

"Stop!" Naoko cried out, knowing what the glow meant. She took a steadying breath for courage, knowing what her daughter was capable of. "Look, Baron, I can tell you're a nice boy and everything, but I don't think you should see my daughter anymore."

"Why ever not?" he asked in confusion, his green eyes hurt. "I love her with all my heart, and I do everything within my power to make her happy."

"And he succeeds," the slim brunette added, reaching across the table to hold his hand possessively.

"Yes, I know, and I appreciate it," the middle-aged woman said apologetically, hating herself for having to do this. "But…"

"But…?" Haru said in that same ominous tone; making her mother flinch in fear.

Naoko sighed in defeat, and decided to finally tell her daughter the truth. "Honey, maybe I should tell you after Baron leaves."

"Maybe you should tell me _now_," her daughter snapped impatiently. "I have no secrets from Baron. Whatever you say, he'll know eventually."

Naoko bit her lip again. "Sweetheart,do you remember when you got sick as a child?"

"You know I can't," she said in an irritated tone. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Everything. You see, honey… I lied. I was forced to lie to you. It wasn't a genetic disease, or even a disease. You were poisoned."

"What?!" Haru said in shock, standing up from her chair sharply.

Naoko sighed again. "I wasn't supposed to tell you this, but it looks like I don't have a choice. You see, Tsuge's been in love with you since the day he first saw you."

"I already know about that," she said impatiently, waving one hand to tell her mother to get on with the story.

Her mother knew that she already knew, since she had received a call from Tsuge, but she knew that she needed to start from there, to help her daughter to understand before she unleashed her terrible temper. She sighed again. "Did you know that he, as well as most of his family, were magicians?"

Haru bit her lip, and looked at her boyfriend from the corner of her eye. "I was beginning to have my suspicions. Are you saying that Tsuge's mother poisoned me?"

"She made the poison, but Tsuge was the one that gave it to you. He said all it took was one bit of specially prepared chocolate, and you were under their power."

The slim brunette stared in shock. "How?" she whispered. "How can he claim to love me if he tried to kill me?!"

"They weren't trying to kill you… necessarily. I didn't know what they did at first, but after a few doctors looked at you, and couldn't find what was wrong, Ryuko came to me, and told me what they had done. She said that it would eventually be fatal, and she had the antidote, but she asked a terrible price for it, Honey."

Haru stared at her mother, the story appearing in her mind. "You promised me to Tsuge, didn't you?" she asked numbly.

"And that you would take that concoction that Ryuko would whip up for you," Naoko said, sighing again. "It's not really a medicine, honey. You're from a long line of seers, one of the most powerful to ever live. Mom would have known how to test how strong you are, but… well, you know," she finished, glancing nervously at the blonde man, who strangely didn't look surprised in the least at her confession. "Even if Tsuge didn't fall in love with you, they would have come after you anyway, for carrying Cassandra's blood. You remember who she is, right?"

"Why?" Haru whispered, her anger building inside of her like a raging fire. "Why did you do that to me?!" she demanded of her mother, who had began to cower in her chair.

"It was to protect you," the redhead cried out, holding her arms in front of her eyes. "You would have married a cat if I didn't, and I thought it would be better that you were married to a magician than a feline!"

The slim girl froze for a second, not quite believing her ears. "What did you say?" she asked in a numb tone, Baron also rising from his chair.

Naoko risked a peak at her daughter, her eyes still full of fear. "You once told me, before Ryuko poisoned you, that you were going to marry a big cat before you were done with school!"

She and Baron looked at each other in numb shock for a long moment.

Slowly, he struggled not to laugh, holding one hand against his mouth to keep his mirth under control.

Haru held up one finger to him in warning. "Not a word," she warned. "I don't want to hear a thing out of you!"

"What on earth gives you the idea I was about to say something, dear?" he asked in mock innocence, a wild smile still present on his handsome face.

"Everything," the slim brunette said in an ominous tone. She sighed, and started taking off the long gloves. "Well, it looks like the jig is up, Mom."

"What jig?" her mother asked in a soft whisper.

"Why don't you take a look for yourself?" her daughter asked, holding up the hand that had the diamond lily on it.

Her mother took one look at the ring, and promptly dropped her jaw in disbelief. "_No_!" she whispered in horror.

"Yes," Haru said firmly. "I wasn't happy about it at first, since I _was _tricked into it, but I am now. Baron makes me so much happier than Tsuge could. He's the one for me, Mom, not Tsuge. I love him."

Baron promptly stopped laughing, his beautiful green eyes wide and defenseless. "Do you mean that?" he asked softly.

His bride looked up at him, and smiled warmly. "I do." Without another word, she walked around the table, sat in his lap to force him to sit down, and pressed her lips against his as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

His eyes closed slowly as he wrapped his arms around her, and deepened the kiss. It wasn't as passionate as the one they had shared when she freed him from the nightmare, but a softer, sweeter variety that sent their hearts singing.

Naoko stared at them, unsure of what she could possibly say. Slowly she turned her dark brown eyes to the tawny youth that was currently kissing the daylights out of her only child.

Her _son-in-law_!

"But… you're not a cat," she weakly protested.

Not wishing to break off the kiss, Haru used one hand to undo the clasp that held some sort of pendant that had been unseen around her husband's throat, and stuffing the trinket into a pocket of her skirt.

Baron's skin began to ripple like a pond's surface, and fur began to grow over his features, which began to change to produce a muzzle and whiskers. A purr began to be heard as a tail suddenly appeared from the seat of his pants, and large triangular ears grew and trailed up the sides of his head.

Naoko leaned back in her chair to watch the tail sharply swish around with Baron's obvious pleasure, and stared at the tall feline creature that was kissing her daughter with such sweet passion.

She barely noticed as her chair leaned a little too far back, or when her head sharply collided with the hard kitchen floor. When the darkness began to overwhelm her senses, she embraced it eagerly, since she thought that she was lost in a bad dream anyway.

But the redhead didhear two things, just before the nothingness claimed her.

"She is _definitely _your mother."

"Oh, be quiet!"


	20. Exposure

**Chapter Twenty: Exposure**

Naoko moaned as a cold wet cloth dabbed at her head. "A cat… a cat…" she groaned.

"Perhaps you two should have found another way to tell her," an elegant voice said critically.

"Perhaps she should have told me the truth years ago," her daughter answered ominously.

Naoko's eyes snapped open, revealing a giant white feline leaning over her, with a wet cloth in one gloved hand. She opened her mouth to scream, but the cat woman quickly threw one hand over her lips.

"Please don't scream, Naoko," the tall white feline said with a pained look. "I don't know if your lungs are as powerful as Haru's-"

"They are," the slim brunette with a smirk.

"Ah. Well, I'd still rather not be treated to an encore, if it's all the same to you, Naoko."

The redheaded woman flapped her jaw soundlessly as she sat up on a couch that most definitely wasn't hers, and noticing that she was in a room that most certainly wasn't in her house. "Where…?" she croaked.

"Haru thought you might be a little emotional when you woke up, so we brought you to my ancestral home to calm down," Baron explained from his place on another couch with Haru on his lap, his expression also slightly pained. "If you feel the need to rant and rave, we would be more than happy to-"

"This can't be happening!" Naoko suddenly yelled, hopping to her feet and pacing the room while waving her fists in the air. "Haru, you _can't _be married, not at your age!"

"I'm eighteen, it's legal," her daughter said in a bored tone as she looked at Toto, who was smirking at her from around his beak.

"There's also the fact that the vows would still be binding, even if she were younger," the girl's husband added, squeezing her by the waist happily. "Granted, it would have been disturbing, but it wouldn't have-"

"Haru, you divorce him right this second! I gave my word that you would marry Tsuge, and blast it, you're going to-"

"_**Calm down,**_" the slim brunette said in the most convincing tone she could manage, her eyes glowing gold again.

Naoko immediately sat down on the ground she had just been pacing on. "I'm calm, perfectly calm," she said in a pleasant, though slightly terrified tone, her eyes far wilder than her voice was.

"Now listen carefully, Mom," Haru continued, now that she had gotten her mother's attention. "Even if I still wanted to divorce Baron, I couldn't. The vows are binding until death, and frankly, Tsuge hasn't done all that much to prove that he's better than my husband. I love him, and if you can't deal with that, we can take you home right now, and we'll never bother you again. Take your pick."

She didn't want to tell her mother that, but with how accurately Toto had guessed her mother's reaction, she had no choice but to put it as bluntly as possible.

Naoko stared at her daughter, a single tear running down her cheek. "You don't understand, Haru," she mourned softly, now that she couldn't get angry anymore. "To be sure that I wouldn't go back on my word, Ryuko took a vial of my blood. She may have backed off about the engagement, but Tsuge hasn't. If I can't convince you to go to him by midnight, he says he'll use my blood to kill me."

The pale cat inhaled sharply. "Baron," she said sharply as he stood up, his eyes on green fire.

"I'm all over it, Mother-"

"Oh no you're not!" Haru said angrily, pulling on his arm before he could run out the door. "My mom's life, my problem!"

"But, Darling!" he protested before she pressed two fingers to his furry mouth.

"He said I needed to go to him before midnight," she said while winking wickedly.

Her husband understood, and opened a portal for her.

ooOoo

Tsuge paced around his living room, sneaking a glance out the windows facing the house across the street every three seconds. His eyes closed in agony before looking at the clock.

'_Thirty more minutes till midnight. Oh, Haru… I __**wish**__ you hadn't made me threaten your mother! I like her more than my own.'_ He glared at the woman teetering softly on the couch, her eyes drooping with the need for sleep. _'Before __**and **__after you gave her orders.' _"Go to bed, Mom," he commanded. "I can handle whatever comes at midnight."

His mother flinched convulsively from the order, and ran up the stairs like a frightened gazelle. Not only had Haru's orders stripped her ability to impose her will on others, it had also reduced her own will to almost nonexistence.

He sighed again, and stole yet another look out the window. His eyes widened, and his heartbeat began to increase.

The woman he had loved since childhood had finally emerged from her home. Alone, and wearing a light-colored dress that sinfully flattered her slender form, making his breath come in shorter gasps, and almost immediately drench his body in sweat

Oh, was it even _legal_, for her to be so beautiful?!

With her head downcast, she slowly walked down the front steps of her house, and made for his across the street.

His heart began to flutter inside his chest like a butterfly as he ran for the front door, and made to open it. But then he stopped himself, knowing that he had to wait for Haru to knock on his door, and he couldn't just run into her arms like the final scene of a sappy chick flick.

As he heard her gentle footsteps on his front porch, though, his willpower began to waver.

Haru's slim, perfect hand began to hesitantly knock on the door. "Tsuge?" she called out like a weak kitten.

Glowing with triumph, he threw open the door to admit his fiancée into his home.

That turned out to be a mistake.

Haru's golden eyes were glowing, almost dripping with fire. Her power reached out like an angry tiger's paw, and immediately smothered his willpower with her own.

His shoulders slacked, and his body became limp, even as his mind screamed out in horror.

"Invite me in, Tsuge," Haru said in a deceptively calm tone.

He couldn't speak, so he moved to one side, allowing her to walk through his front door.

"Come sit with me, Tsuge," she commanded again, sitting on the couch that his mother had just vacated.

When he hesitated, she looked up at him firmly, and patted the seat next to her. His feet began to move forward against his wishes, and his body eased himself into the seat. He wanted to speak to her, tell her how much he loved her, but until she bade him to, he could not utter a word.

Haru sighed sadly. "Where did it all go wrong, Tsuge? Why did you turn into a monster?"

"I-I didn't," he protested.

She glared at him again, smothering the tiny bit of will that he had been fighting to keep. "You and your mother poisoned me to force my mother to agree to an engagement that you decided not to tell me about until after I was in love with someone else. That sounds monstrous to me." She sighed again. "I was hoping you wouldn't make me do this, but it appears that it's the only way I'm going to find out anything from you. Come closer."

Although his mind shrieked against it, his body leaned closer to hers. She reached up with one hand, and grabbed his head so that they would lock eyes again. If she hadn't looked so angry, Tsuge would have thought that she was about to kiss the daylights out of him.

"Please…" he weakly begged, knowing what she was about to do.

"You threatened my mother's life. Did you really think I was going to let you get away with that?" Haru asked in that low terrible tone. Her golden eyes locked with his black ones, and began to examine his soul.

Nothing was hidden from her. Her eyes widened as a gasp escaped her throat. "You killed Yuki?" she whispered.

Tsuge couldn't say anything, and he tried desperately to remove his eyes from that terrible gaze, but he could not move a single muscle.

Golden tears began to flow down her face. "How dare you claim to love me, after everything you've done?!" the slimmer brunette demanded. "Killing one of my friends, promising another to a pervert in return for spreading lies about me and Baron, and… and…" In her rage, she could barely speak.

"Haru…" he croaked.

"No. I don't want to hear it. If what you felt for me was even remotely close to love, you never would have done such terrible things to me, or the ones _I_ love. Listen closely, Nashito Tsuge; **you **_**are**_** going to go to your basement, and fetch everything you could possibly use to find or hurt me or anyone I care about. Then you will bring the items to me. **_**Go**_."

Like a motorized puppet, Tsuge stood up, and ran out of the room and down the hall so that he could open up the door to his basement.

As he turned the light on, it became apparent that the room was used to practice the dark arts. Books with vile names filled the shelves, as well as vials upon vials of potions that his mother had labored over for years.

With tears running down his face, Tsuge started grabbing bottles from the shelves until he couldn't hold any more. With Haru's compulsion still controlling his body, he carefully deposited all he had collected into the large trash can that he kept in the room, and continued filling it with books, voodoo dolls, and even the lock of hair he usually used to locate her in an emergency, stolen from the beautiful brunette when she was still lost in that poisoned haze, even as his mother had struck the engagement with her own mother.

Not that the spell had worked since they went up to the mountain. He couldn't understand why; he had called her by her full name as he had always done.

He _knew _he should have killed Baron when he had the chance. But that fiend was always a little too quick to be caught alone without Haru's presence to protect him. Oh, if only he had never appeared…

Sobbing uncontrollably, he dragged the nearly overflowing trash can up the stairs, down the hall, and to Haru, where she was waiting by the door.

She shook her head at how much stuff he had brought her. "This is sick and wrong, I hope you know that," she informed her ex-friend as she began dragging the trash can out of his home. "This is your next assignment, Tsuge; **you are going to take everything else down in that basement, and destroy it. Everything, **_**except **_**the potions that permanently strip a person of their supernatural powers, and the one that induces amnesia. Once you have destroyed all traces of your magical life, you and your mother will first share the potion that strips you of your powers, and then you will both drink the potion that will make you forget everything. **Do you understand?"

With tears running down his face, Tsuge nodded.

"Good. I should order you to commit suicide, so this is really an act of mercy. Get cracking, Tsuge, because you _**will**_be done before sunrise."

The boy turned around on his heel, and marched back down to the basement to continue his terrible task.

Smiling sadly, Haru rubbed the lily ring on her finger. "I'm finished, dear. I want to come home now."

The air in front of her shimmered like a heat wave, and a familiar gloved hand reached out to grab the huge trash can.

"My, they've certainly been busy, haven't they?" Baron said drily, dragging the huge can into the von Gikkingen sitting room.

Haru couldn't answer him. She marched right past him into the room, and looked up to where Toto was perched on a grandfather clock. "You _knew _he killed Yuki, didn't you?" she accused.

The crow began nodding his head, cawing angrily.

Haru slammed one hand against her forehead before locking her golden eyes with Toto's black ones. "For crying out loud, _**SPEAK**_!" she commanded him.

Her feathered friend's eyes flashed gold for a second, and his voice became strangled.

"Caw… Caaww- I wish you had given me that order years ago, Haru!" Toto exclaimed, making Naoko gasp with shock. "Do you have any idea how much trouble I could have saved everyone?!"

"Well, _now _I do!" Haru snapped waspishly, collapsing onto the couch next to her mother. "But we won't have to worry about the Nashito family anymore. By this time tomorrow, they won't know what their _own _names are."

Naoko looked at her daughter helplessly. "Honey, I swear I would have told you before now, but-"

"I know, Mom. I examined his soul. He's only the second most vile thing I've ever seen, but it was enough. Oh, Mom," she sobbed, nestling her head on her mother's lap. "He killed Yuki."

Louise cocked her head, and looked at Toto. "Who is Yuki?"

"My feline sister," the crow answered mournfully. "She was taking up too much of Haru's time in Tsuge's eyes, so he got rid of her while Haru was too sick to do anything. He'd have gotten rid of me too, if Haru hadn't ordered us to stop trying to kill each other."

The slim brunette in question choked out another sob. "Poor Yuki… he _drowned _her, Mom! In the lake by the park we used to play in!"

Baron had long crossed the room by now, and was easing his wife onto his lap, rocking her in his arms as if she were a child. He didn't offer silly words of comfort, but just held her close, stroking her hair with one gloved hand.

Louise looked at her sadly, and poured the girl a cup of tea after she had calmed down. "Here you are, dear," she said, offering the teacup to her daughter-in-law.

Haru took the cup, but before she sipped from it, she looked at it, and then at the tall white feline. Very slowly, her golden eyes narrowed, and her lip began twitching, remembering another cup of tea, from exactly a week before. But even more than that, she remembered how quickly her crush on Machida had been forgotten. "You knew," she accused her mother-in-law, setting the cup into her lap without drinking from it. "You _knew _I was under a love potion."

"Actually, _I _was the one that knew, dear," Baron said apologetically, squeezing her again. "Well, it was more of a guess, but your speech about Machida before you released me made me think that your feelings weren't really your own. I asked Mother to give you the antidote when you woke up that night."

Her eyes widened, but one gloved finger flew to her mouth before she could say anything.

"The beauty of that particular potion is that, if your love for Machida had been genuine, it wouldn't have changed a thing. When you insulted him the next morning, I knew _someone_ from your life wasn't as ordinary as they seemed, but if I had tried to warn you, you wouldn't have believed me. I was on shaky ground with your trust as things were. Can you forgive me for not telling you sooner?"

She looked straight at him with her golden eyes, examining his soul. He let her see who he really was, without flinching. More than anything, he wanted to show her that he had nothing to hide.

At last she smiled, still liking what she saw in him, and sipped her tea before leaning into his chest comfortably. "Yes, I can forgive you, but please don't keep secrets like that from me anymore."

"Deal," Baron agreed readily, although he was already planning to break the promise.

"What I don't understand is why Tsuge fed you a love potion for Machida," Louise said, her face full of confusion.

"It was an accident," Haru explained ruefully. "The potion was really for Hiromi, because Tsuge knew I'd never look at him that way as long as my best friend wanted him like that. So he spiked her drink at lunch on Valentine's Day, but then I switched drinks with her. We did that a lot before I met Baron."

The orange and cream feline stared at his bride… and promptly began laughing.

"What could possibly be funny about this?" Toto demanded from his perch on the grandfather clock.

"Oh, the _irony_!" the tawny cat gasped. "If he hadn't tried so hard to ensnare Haru with magic, she never would have run into the woods that day, and she never would have released me!"

Haru stared at her husband. "So, technically… we owe our marriage to Tsuge?" she asked with disbelief.

Baron nodded, his eyes glittering wickedly. "It's almost enough to make me want to thank him."

Haru managed a light laugh of her own, knowing that the fact wouldn't make her forget about Yuki. "Almost, but not quite."


	21. Relief

**Chapter Twenty One: Relief**

Haru sighed and wiggled around underneath the covers. Frowning, she reached out, and started patting the bed down, searching for her beloved. Her beautiful golden eyes opened reluctantly, only to find her husband absent.

She sighed, and threw the covers off of her. "I wish he'd wake me up when he gets up," she murmured, reaching for a soft cotton robe that was on her side of the huge bed they shared. A giggle escaped her throat, remembering how sad her husband had been over them moving to his bed, which was easily five times as big as her old one.

"_Yours has spoiled me, love. How am I supposed to get a decent night's sleep if you're all the way over there?"_

"_I don't have to be, you know. See? We can still cuddle on this one."_

"_Oh, good. Speaking of cuddling…"_

Haru blushed and giggled happily while slipping into the robe, tying it in the front before opening the same navy curtains to look outside.

The sun had risen about an inch over the distant mountain, drenching this perfect dimension with golden light.

She sat down at the same high back chair she had before, and looked dreamily out the window. "Three months," she whispered happily. "Three _glorious _months."

That was how long she had been Baron's wife.

The rest of school had been disappointingly uneventful, now that Tsuge and his mother had been taken to some remote hospital in an attempt to restore their memories, but she had to admit; she felt kind of cheated that he hadn't put up more of a fight. She thought she deserved a little more of a battle, after everything he had put her through for all those lonely years.

The other students had returned to avoiding her like the plague, once word of her intimidation abilities had gotten out, and the graduation ceremony had been pulled off without a hitch. Baron's entire family had attended, but she was certain that Muta and his mother had really come for Hiromi, since they had disappeared together afterwards. Her closest human friend didn't know everything about her new boyfriend yet, but thanks to another dream that had quite a number of adorable half-kittens, Haru was certain that things would work out between her friend and cousin-in-law, after he eventually decided to tell her the truth.

Hiromi had been shocked at how quickly Haru and Baron had gotten married, since they had faked a small civil ceremony after graduation to be sure there were no moral doubts about why Haru and her mother were moving in with Baron's family. But the slim brunette could tell that her dear friend was just a little jealous that her relationship with Muta wasn't moving along as quickly as hers.

Haru was just happy that her mother had given her blessing to her and Baron, now that she understood what a sweetheart the tall feline was, and that she didn't have to worry about being threatened by the Nashito family anymore.

The redhead had adjusted to the strange rules of Baron's hereditary dimension surprisingly well, and had managed to bond almost instantly with both Louise and Rebecca despite their feline traits. Haru wondered just how lonely her mother had really been, all the years she had buried herself in fabric at the orders of Ryuko, so that she wouldn't have a life of her own. Her mother seemed to enjoy having all the pressures of being a quilting celebrity taken off of her shoulders after announcing her retirement to the quilting world, because she didn't even utter a peep when Haru came clean about her true desires for her future.

Strangely enough, she hadn't mentioned the word 'doctor' or 'healer', even once. Instead, the slim brunette had talked excitedly about using her powers as a seer to stop disasters before they could happen, with Baron at her side. He had been quite formidable at sticking his nose in other people's business before he had gotten cursed, but with a powerful seer for a wife, his usual capacity would be enhanced several times over.

That is, _after_ he was finished running off to whatever assignment needed to be done alone.

Haru knew she was being selfish for thinking this, but she was glad that she would be spending centuries by his side instead of a mere number of decades.

Muta came into sight, down on the ground level in the grassy field behind the manor. He was shouting something at a flying shadow again, but the glass was too thick for her to understand him. Her feathered friend dove for the giant's cream-colored fur again, shouting another cunningly crafted insult that was more than likely focused on the huge cat's weight.

She snuggled deeper into the comfy chair, and sighed. "I guess I should get dressed. It's my turn to make breakfast." She stood up reluctantly, and made her way to the huge wardrobe Baron had made for her. Opening the doors, she was greeted by dozens of classy dresses, ones that she had never seen before.

"_Baron_," she sighed in slight irritation as she started sifting through the dressy outfits. "Come on, these are a little too nice to make breakfast in. Where are my usual clothes?"

Her shadow solidified into a physical form, and her husband was at her side, grinning like a Cheshire cat all alone with a big bowl of cream.

"Aren't you going to pick something, dear?" he asked with a mischievous twinkle in his beautiful green eyes.

"Maybe if you would stop messing with my wardrobe, I would," she retorted, leaning into the soft folds of cloth until the top half of her body was no longer seeable. "You don't want me to get flour or milk over any of these nice dresses, do you?"

"Of course not," he scoffed, sliding his hands around her slender waist before quickly pulling her out of the wardrobe for a warm hug.

"Baron!" she protested again, but her anger began to dissolve as his nimble fingers began to tickle her sensitive skin. She giggled helplessly as she tried to escape his embrace, but it was no use. He was much stronger than she was, and had more body mass to his advantage.

"Do you surrender?" he asked teasingly, picking her up before she could collapse onto the carpet, his gloved hands still skimming over as many of her ticklish spots as they could find.

"Y-yes!" she managed to gasp, vainly trying to bat his busy hands away. "Just stop, already! Do what you will with me!"

"Now, dear!" he said in mock amazement, his grin becoming even bigger. "If you had wanted to come with me, you should have said so from the beginning." But instead of picking out a dress for her, since he was clearly about to burst from excitement, he whispered a spell to change her nightgown and dressing robe into a periwinkle dress, one that clearly had drawn inspiration from a traditional kimono.

Haru wiped a few tears of mirth from her eyes as her husband set her down. But then she became startled as he pulled out one of his larger white handkerchiefs from his pant pocket, and made to wrap it around her eyes. "What are you doing?" she asked suddenly, backing away from him enough so that he couldn't blindfold her. "Where did you say we were going?"

Baron smiled widely at her, and kissed her brow before slowly tying the handkerchief over her eyes. "It's a surprise, love. Call it a belated wedding gift, from me to you."

"Honey, you spoil me too much!" she tried to protest, but then her husband pressed his lips against hers to silence her before picking her up bridal style again, squeezing her like a beloved childhood toy.

"Please humor me, love. I've been working very hard on this for the past two and a half months."

Haru blushed, and wrapped her arms around his neck. "_Oh_. I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"That was the idea, darling. Now, I need you to be completely silent until I take off the blindfold. No questions, no comments, understand?"

She nodded, and kissed his cheek before resting her head on his comfortable shoulder.

"That's right," he said soothingly before opening a portal to a silent place she couldn't put a name to.

"Before we leave, you didn't have a dream last night, did you?" her husband asked worriedly.

"Baron, I swear on my mother's head that I have absolutely no idea what you're planning or where you're taking me," she sighed.

"Good," he said happily, kissing her lips once before going through the portal. "And remember; not a word."

Haru leaned her head against her husband's shoulder again, and listened to his strong heartbeat. It had such a firm rhythm to it, one that could easily lull her into sleep, as she knew from experience.

The slim brunette could hear her beloved's shoes click softly on a tiled hallway that echoed much the way she expected a cathedral to. She bit her lip worriedly, wondering just what her husband had in store for her.

Baron stopped for a second, and then walked to the side, leaning his body like he was trying to avoid hitting her or himself against something she couldn't see. He walked a few more strides forward, long and graceful, before setting her into a well-stuffed chair of some sort.

She could hear him step to the side of the chair, and reach for the knot holding the blindfold against her face.

"Shall we then?" Baron asked, his voice nearly bursting with excitement.

"Yes, by all means," an unfamiliar masculine voice answered, obviously as enthusiastic as her husband.

"All right then," the tawny feline said quickly. "Three, two, one!"

As he said 'one', Baron pulled hard on one of the parts of the knot he had tied around Haru's head, making the handkerchief fall from her face and into his hand.

It was bright, wherever her husband had taken her. Haru slowly blinked her eyes open… and stared in shock.

This… this wasn't possible!

Across from her, also in a large chair, was a giant feline that looked much like Baron's mother, except for the fact that she was completely feline, but still about the same height as herself.

Her eyes trailed to the pink ribbon around the white cat's neck as a handkerchief fell from her eyes as well, thanks to a dark feline standing beside her.

The cat's sapphire eyes opened slowly, and then widened in shock. Her muzzled mouth dropped open, like she wanted to say something, but her mind was clearly as blank as Haru's.

Realizing that her own mouth was hanging open, the slim brunette closed it, and managed to say one word, although it was barely audible.

"_Yuki_?"

Tears began to flow down the white cat's face. Slowly, tentatively, she reached out with one paw, and touched the human's soft dark hair. "_Haru_?" she whispered disbelievingly. "Is that really you?"

Haru couldn't take it anymore. With a cry of pure joy, she hopped out of her chair and tackled the feline, squeezing her harder than she had ever dared to before, now that they were about the same height. "_Yuki_! Thank heaven, you're alive! I thought Tsuge killed you!"

The white feline managed an angry scoff through her tears of happiness, hugging her former owner just as fiercely. "The lake he threw me into is a portal to the Cat Kingdom by the full moonlight. I was lucky that there was a full moon out when he tried to kill me, but I couldn't come back, because the way out of the kingdom is a lot tougher than getting in and you need permission from the king…"

Haru listened to her old pet babble tearfully for several minutes, soaking in every word that she hadn't been able to understand before. Rocking her old pet like a beloved child, she looked up, noticing that both Baron and the dark feline were watching them, tears in their eyes as well. Bemusedly, she noticed that the dark grey feline's eyes were mismatched, one as blue as Yuki's, while the other was as red as blood.

The human girl looked from the white cat sobbing happily on her shoulder to the dark grey feline a few times before pointing a finger at the tomcat. "Are you her boyfriend?" she asked flatly.

"Her fiancé," he corrected her with a foolish smile.

Haru beamed at him, and held up one fist to show it to him. "You break her heart; I'll break your neck, deal?"

"Haru!" Yuki nearly screamed in shock, sitting up from her old mistress's embrace as the dark feline jumped back, clearly not expecting her to say that. "You can't threaten the crown prince like that!"

"I don't care how high up the guy is, Yuki; I'll behead anyone that tries to hurt you again," Haru replied fiercely.

The grey feline looked at Baron nervously. "A real spit-fire, isn't she?" he asked while laughing nervously.

"That's partially why I'm crazy about her," the tawny feline replied, winking roguishly at his wife. "I'll vouch for him, love. His father's a little strange, but Prince Lune is a good fellow. I doubt that you could pick a better mate for Yuki if you wanted to."

The slim brunette quirked an eyebrow at the white cat next to her, who nodded enthusiastically.

"He's been so good to me, and I really do love him, Haru. Give him a chance?" her furred friend begged.

The human burst out laughing. "You sound just like me when I first told Mom about Baron!"

The white feline stole a confused glance at the tawny one. "Is he _your _boyfriend?" she asked in confusion, although the confusion may have been aimed at his half-human appearance.

"Her husband," Baron corrected with a grin. "Feel free to threaten me, but I'll never break her heart."

Yuki's jaw dropped. "So you _weren't _kidding about marrying a cat," she said to Haru in amazement.

"Apparently not," the slim brunette giggled, gazing at her husband lovingly. "I'd say this puts them on our permanent good lists, wouldn't you say?"

"Oh, yes," her feline friend agreed fervently, stealing another hug from her.

The next several hours were devoted to catching up on each other's lives.

Yuki had been well, though not always content. She hadn't been able to talk with the king about returning to her native world, so she received employment at the castle instead, working as a maid until forming a timid friendship with the prince sitting at her side. The friendship had slowly turned into love, despite his father's attempts to set him up with a high-ranking lady of court, and he had just recently been allowed to propose to her.

Prince Lune had apparently had the same idea Baron had about reuniting the two, because he and the half-feline had crossed each other in their attempts to find the other girl just yesterday, which was why they had arranged for them to meet again today.

Yuki listened breathlessly as Haru described everything that had happened over the years, her expression often turning fierce every time Tsuge's name was mentioned. Yet, she also appeared smug as the slim brunette talked about how everything the Nashito family had struggled to achieve with her had been destroyed by one unthinking gesture with a ring, and how happy Haru was that her life didn't always go according to even her own plans.

But eventually, Baron placed his hand on his wife's shoulder. "We had better return, dear," he informed her sadly. "Remember, humans change in this world."

Haru looked down at her hand, which had been changing unnoticed into a paw, covered with a light toffee-colored fur. Amazed, she began exploring her facial features with both paws, even as her husband picked her up again to take her back to the Human World.

"We'll be back for visits, and we'll bring Toto," Baron promised while bowing to the royal couple.

"You'll come to our wedding, won't you?" Yuki begged with tears of happiness still in her sky blue eyes. "It's this time next week."

"We wouldn't miss it for the world," Haru assured her dear friend, waving goodbye over Baron's shoulder as he turned, and opened up another portal.

But Haru didn't feel the warm air from inside the manor, or the warmer tone that would have meant outside the family home. Instead, the air had a crisp coolness to it, a slight chill that she remembered all too well.

Looking around, she could see that her husband had brought her to the spot by the river, where they had first met.

Baron sat down on the soft sand, making her sit on his warm lap while hugging her tightly. "My grandfather made the mistake of returning to our dimension after he was finished with dealing with the Cat Kingdom," he explained while looking at her lovingly. "Since one does not change there, he was frozen in that halfway point for weeks, so _that _became his true form, and I know better than anyone else that no one will intrude on us here."

Haru looked down to see her paws change back into hands, and felt her face reassume the shape of a human skull. She felt it with her naked fingers while cuddling deep into her husband's embrace. "I wouldn't mind changing, if you wanted me to," she informed him with a flirtatious smile.

"Darling, I couldn't care less if you resembled a cat or a human," he replied honestly, brushing his gentle lips over hers. "I just want you to be happy."

"Well I'm that, all right," she giggled while shaking her head. "I just can't believe that you tracked down Yuki for me!"

He shrugged nonchalantly, and whispered a few words to make a picnic basket appear next to them, since it was late in the day, and neither of them had eaten anything yet. "You were worth it. I'd have searched for _years _to make you smile like that."

She smiled happily, and kissed him before wrapping her arms around his neck. "Ego diligo vos," she informed him, since he had been giving her lessons in Latin.

He beamed at his wife, and kissed her back. "I love you, too."

ooOoo

Lots of love for; Anonomous-Allstar-Fan (along with Santa and Bob), Bambi4ever, Ethereal Sympathy, slashfictionslut, Dreaming Lunatic, Nonimouse, Chantal, Dragowolf, fringeperson, CaptainBillyTheWerewolf, The Spiked Dragon, Savannah Cullen, laurashrub, samuraistar, Greenhemoglobin, Drifting One, kittydemon18, arami, Lady Moon Dragon, cwizumi, Raye of the Sunshine, Tadashii Satsu, Elvin Magi, Ducklin, yorushihe, Lunarobi Pride, mini-ares, mizgardenia21, asian9090, Bei, Butterfree, bluecrystal angel, spoiledpuppy, QuickStar, Kakashi's-lil'-sis, Strawberry White Tiger, archangelBBQ, celeste83, Rini's Ghost, RainbowHeart, Brietta-Cerdwin, Kiss of the Breeze, Apple Juice Revolution, Xiang Yun, kingdomfantasyanime453, Narcisse Noir, Moonlight X Luna, fluffy2044, Kokomojeezus, Sun-mei-lee, fromtheheart13, ArtsyChick, MichantheNinja, Draceline, Twilight Journey, ShadowVixen, AlphaSigma, Vicki'sLetter, Bibliophile Nincompoop, Ceysna, GreenHarmony, AliceInBloom, slavetothekeyboard, Vege-Chan, anon, Macjill, 10tailwolfdemon, NinjaFoodLover, goblin-queen-of-the-opera, Bibishi Kuronecko787, lunerlet, Cici-chi, EagleBlaze, Darkness' Forbidden Scribe, paco, Lanari, Annemarie, James Birdsong, EarthGurdian, and LeafeKnight7 for the lovely and honest reviews. You guys are awesome, and I love hearing from you!

Whew, that list is getting harder to write. But it's a fun type of hard.

All right, I've been asked to start explaining where I've been getting my inspiration. I've had this plot bunny in my head since I was writing A Misunderstanding, about 'okay, what if Haru actually DID marry Baron that night?' So, this is heavily from Corpse Bride. But while I was writing this, I got a request from EarthGurdian to do a Hades and Persephone story, which is pretty much a reversed role of Corpse Bride (though I'm glad I didn't stick with the original storyline for _that_). The Seers' Line was inspired by Cassandra of Troy, who was a princess during the Trojan War.

Hmm. Yep, I think that's all the inspiration for this story.

Oh, and due to circumstances beyond my control (work, church, chores, hand-quilting a king-sized overdue quilt for my oldest brother, etc.), I can no longer write as quickly as I used to. I'll do my best to have the next story done before Of Fur and Feathers is finished, but I can't make promises at this point.

I'm hoping that it'll be done in time. It's something a lot of reviewers have been requesting (some were even doing it on bended knees).

Lots of love,

YC


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